Failure
by mia bella jacob
Summary: Takes place after ThrowDown. What if Rachel had a more vulnerable side that people don't see. When her confidence begins to shrivel and die, will anyone care. Who will step up to the plate. Will cover all following episodes. Eventual Finchel.
1. Chapter 1

**I got the idea for this when I was watching the episode Throwdown. Takes place after Quinn's pregnancy is announced. Rachel may be a bit out of character but I want to try writing about a side of her that you never really see.**

** Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

Rachel Berry stared at Finn trying to comfort a hysterical Quinn. Only one word flashed through her mind; 'failure'. She had failed at trying to protect them. She could now lose all hope of getting him to fall for her. She had lost this battle. Quinn had won his heart and she had to accept the fact that Finn wouldn't leave her side now that she was pregnant with his child. She slowly turned around and walked back down the hallway to her locker. The more she thought about this the more it bothered her. '_I thought that Jacob would have stayed true to his word… gosh I am such an idiot._' The taunting thought seem it circle her mind like a shark does. When the final bell sounded she made her way to her car after getting her books from her locker.

As she got into her car she saw Quinn out of the corner of her eye. Guilt washed through her as she saw the dried tears on her cheeks. She felt envy when Finn Hudson came up behind Quinn and wrapped his strong arms around her. Jacob had been right. Finn didn't want her. He chose Quinn but why wouldn't he? She was tall, blonde, smart, and pretty. Rachel was just short, talkative, self-centered, and ugly compared to Quinn. She felt her shoulders sag as she drove home. She pulled into the garage and turned the engine off. She made her way into the house. She dragged herself into her room and flopped down on her bed. Deciding to start her homework, she dragged a text book from her bag and began to deal with the task a head.

By the time 6:30 rolled around, she had finished her homework and had started trying to come up with some song ideas for Glee, but her heart just wasn't in it. She felt like she had just gotten a punch in the gut. She went downstairs to the kitchen and then saw a note on the refrigerator door. Removing it from its place, she quickly skimmed over it. It said that her dad had a big press conference in New Jersey and that they had to stay there for the next three days. She didn't read any more after that. She had gotten used to this very quickly. Her dad was a big executive in his company so he was often going out to meetings so her daddy always went with him. She went to go get herself something to eat but then stopped herself when her stomach did a flip. She pulled her hand off the handle and turned away. Instead she got herself a glass of water to try to calm her upset stomach.

She walked into the den and sat on the couch. Curling up under a throw blanket she put on a random channel and started to watch what ever was on. She soon got engulfed by the plot of '_Jaws_'; however, when the movie was about half finished, she felt to tired to keep watching so she made her way upstairs. Snuggling under her covers she closed her eyes and tried to force herself to enter a dreamless sleep.

-The following morning-

Rachel was soon forced awake by her blaring alarm clock. As she lay awake for a few minutes, the events from yesterday reentered her mind. Deciding to skip her morning workout she went to here closet and grabbed a pink shirt with a puppy on it and a black skirt as well as a bra and underpants, she made her way to the bathroom. She turned on the hot water and stripped down. Once she was nude she got under the hot spray of water and let it soothe her aching muscles. Twenty minutes later she turned off the water and got out of the shower. She wrapped her pink, fluffy towel around her. Once she was dry she dressed herself and went down the stairs, after she grabbed her school bag. She glanced at the clock and then decided to just leave for school and eat a granola bar on the way.

Grabbing one from the kitchen she quickly made her way to the car. Backing out of the garage, she made her way down the street after she made sure that it was closed. Quickly devouring the bar she realized that she still felt a tad hungry but decided that she could wait for lunch. She pulled into the school parking lot. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she got out of the car, locked it, and made her way into the school. When she reached her locker, it took her a moment to spin her combination. When it popped open, she reached in and grabbed her folder, putting her unnecessary books into it. As she was about to close it was slammed closed. She jumped and looked up. Towering above her, Finn Hudson glared at her. He grabbed her forearm roughly and started to drag her along the hallway. When he reached a secluded part of the hall he let her go with a face of disgust and turned her quickly to face him. She cowered back from him slightly.

"What the heck, Rachel! I thought that you got that Jacob kid to not run the story. You told me you gave him your underpants to get him to stop. Is that just a bunch of shit you told me to get me to talk to you, to see you in a new light? Do you know what you just did to poor Quinn! She is so upset that she cried for three hours straight!" Finn practically shouted at her, all the while pointing his finger at her. Rachel was scared to say the least. Finn had never yelled at her and this side of him was frightening. "I-I-I did give him my underwear to get him to stop! Ms. Sylvester found them in his locker and he told her about Quinn. I swear I did everything I could," she said in one breathe in a hurry. His eyes narrowed at her before he took a deep breathe and looked her right in the eye, "You know I thought that you were awesome; doing all that stuff to help me with my singing and how you 'helped' Quinn and me out with the baby, but that was just some little lie that you told. Now I want you to leave me and Quinn alone. Don't talk to me, stick up for me, anything that has anything to do with you being involved with me. The only thing that we'll do together from here on out is sing together. Do I make myself clear?" He asked with a cold look that dared her to say no. She quickly nodded her head and he gave her a curt nod before walking away.

Rachel sat there for a moment trying to absorb what had just happened. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. She had just lost her only friend. She was friendless and now had no one to lean on. She dragged herself down the hallway and just as she rounded the corner, she was met by a slushie. As she saw the offender, Noah Puckerman, high five a fellow jock, she had to hold the tears back. She made a mad dash for the bathroom to change out of the stained clothing. She ran into a stall and opened her bag. Pulling out the spare clothes, she began to peel away the stained cloth. She took out a towel and wrapped it around her head. As she dressed herself she let a few tears fall down her cheeks. When she was redressed, she exited the stall and turned on the tap on the sink. Once it was cool, she took her hair and began to run it under the water, attempting to get rid of the stickiness. It took a while but she eventually managed to get all the slushie out and after cleaning it off her face, she made her way to first period. The bell rang just as she entered the room and she quickly took a seat. As the day went on, she felt the full blow of Finn's words like she had been stabbed and the knife had been left in her. By the time lunch rolled around, she was feeling lower than low and had lost her appetite. She walked into the lunch room and saw the Glee Club sitting together, minus the Cheerios and Jocks. She approached quietly and cleared her throat to get their attention. When everyone turned to see who it was she quickly stammered out, "C-c-can I sit with you guys?"

They all looked at each other. What was with her? Usually she would just sit down and start jabbering and they would feel the urge to shove a sock in her mouth. Tina shrugged then turned to Rachel and said, "S-s-s-s-sure Rachel. Pull up a c-c-c-chair." Rachel smiled graciously before she sat in a seat between Mercedes and Tina. From that point on she kept her mouth shut, listening to the carefree chatter around her. _'Wow, I really am a loser… good wh_y _am I such a_ _failure at everything I do. No wonder everybody hates me,'_ She thought to herself as she sat there her chin resting on one hand. "Rachel, are you going to eat?" Artie asked a bit concerned as he saw that the girl hadn't eaten anything. The girl shook her head in response and answered, "I'm not hungry." The table shared a look. "Look here, babe. I know that you see all the skinny ass models and cheerios walking around and that you want to be like them, but it's dangerous to stop eating. Don't do it to yourself. You could get really sick and we need you for sectionals," Mercedes said. Rachel decided to act her way out of this and sent a reassuring smile at them. "I just had a big breakfast. I know it's dangerous and I would never try it. Thank you for the concern though," she said plastering a fake grin on her lips. Mercedes, satisfied she had made an effort, brought up the topic of the new Zac Efron movie and how she wanted to go see it. Rachel once again zoned out and was pulled away from her thoughts by the bell.

The rest of the day droned on and after what felt like forever the day was over and it was time for Glee. She made it to her locker and she opened it. She decided to take her time, considering she would just be an annoyance. She spent a good five minutes sorting through her stuff and gathering her necessities she made her way to the choir room. She walked slowly; not in any hurry to go and see the people that only wanted her for her talent. It took her four minutes to walk the usually two minute walk. When she reached the choir room she walked in taking a cautious look around to see that the entire Glee Club was already seated around the room. Seeing a chair partially excluded from the others she sat down and began to fish out her homework only to stop when she saw Mr. Shuster enter from his office. "Alright, now that we're all here let's get started. I know that we got taken on a little detour with Ms. Sylvester. Let's just get back on track with rehearsing our numbers for sectionals. Let's do '_Somebody to love_'. Rachel, Finn, are you two ready?" He asked looking between the young leads. Finn nodded, kissed Quinn's cheek and took her hand leading her to the auditorium to rehearse.

Rachel grabbed her bag then turned to follow the glee club as they began to follow the quarterback and cheerleader to the auditorium. Rachel's shoulders sagged as she walked down the hall way. She lagged behind the rest of the group as they all chatted away freely. She was an outsider. It was clear that they didn't care about her happiness. It was about time that she learned to accept it.

When she reached the auditorium she dumped her bag in a chair near the exit. She walked up the steps to the stage and once everyone was in position they began to sing the song. Through out the entire number Finn refused to look at her. He simply pretending she was a random girl on the street or on the bus.

Will Shuster could tell something was up. Rachel's voice was strong and clear as a bell but it lacked emotion. She simply went through the motions of performing. "Come on guys! Energy!" He called out and Rachel put on a big smile. It didn't reach her eyes though. When the song finished he sighed heavily. "That was pretty good guys. We need to work on it a little bit but that's in good shape. Take five. We'll run it again after the break. Rachel, I need to speak to you for a moment," he said. Rachel walked over to Mr. Shue ready to get lectured for another thing she couldn't do right. When she reached him he put a hand on her shoulder. "Rachel, are you alright. You seem kind of out of it. Did something happen at home? Do you want to go home?" He asked her, concerned for his student. "I'm fine, Mr. Shue. I'm just a little tired I guess. I'll try to do better," she said. He looked her in the eye while saying, "Rachel if you don't feel good then you should rest." Rachel tried her best to muster a sincere smile. "I'm fine Mr. Shue. I promise." He smiled at her after she said that. Giving her shoulder a pat, he told her to get some water before they had to perform again. She nodded before she walked to her back pack, fished out her water bottle and took a sip. She then screwed the cap back on, put it back in its place, and walked back to the stage and made it just by the time Mr. Shuster told them to get in their places.

By the time they were released, they had run the number about two more times. It hadn't gotten any better in the time they worked on it. Mr. Shuster could tell that the rehearsal would just continue to go down hill so he called it off. Now, Rachel was walking through the rain to her car. She was already drenched through her clothes and was shivering. She saw a truck pull up beside her and the window was rolled down. She was about to run when she saw it was Noah. "Hop in. I'll give you a ride to your car," he said. She looked at him cautiously before complying with his proposal. She opened the door before she looked at the distance from the ground to the seat. She braced herself against the door before trying to drag herself up. "You gonna make it, Berry?" He asked after watching her struggle for a moment. Finally mustering the strength to drag her tiny frame up into the cab, she shut the door. There was only silence between the two as he drove the short distance to her car. When he pulled up next to it, he put it in park. She was about to get out when she hesitated. "Noah, why are you doing this for me?" She asked slightly curious. He shifted a bit uncomfortably before answering, "You looked like a half drowned kitten. I may be a bad ass, but I'm not heartless… well you get the idea. This doesn't change anything. You can still expect a slushie facial tomorrow." She nodded before turning her attention back toward the door. "Thank you," she muttered before she hopped out and raced to get into her car.

As she drove home she let a few tears slip down her cheeks. So far the only good think that had happened was Noah giving her the ride to her car because it saved her from getting drenched any further. As she made her way into her house, she thought about how her only friend had hurt her terribly and her enemy had helped her out. That didn't change the facts; she was still a failure. Only time could tell if she could actually succeed in cleaning up the mess she felt she had caused.

**Author's Note:**

** Well this is the first installment. Thoughts? I do know that most characters are written out of character. Hope you liked it any way. Hopefully the next chapter will be posted soon. Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

Rachel Berry woke the next morning and still didn't feel up to exercising. She lay in her bed for another twenty minutes before she decided to drag her body out of bed. She was exhausted and decided a cold shower would be the best way to wake up a little more. She turned on the water and let it cool off while she undressed. Once she was naked she stepped in and gasped when the cold water hit her. She started to shiver but washed herself off and once she was done, she got out of the shower. Her shivering only intensified as the cool air conditioning hit her. She looked around for her towel and quickly wrapped it around herself trying to get warmth back into her body. The Brightside of the situation was that the shower had managed to make her more alert. She looked at her reflection. She sighed before going into her bedroom to find something to wear. She settled on a plain, light blue t-shirt with a black skirt. She slipped on a pair of black knee high socks and then went to leave her room when she froze.

Noah had said that she could expect another slushie facial today. Thinking quickly she grabbed her bad and opened it. She stripped down to her bra and underwear and put the articles of clothing she had been wearing into her bag along with an extra set of under garments. She went back to her closet and grabbed an outfit she didn't really like. It was a yellow sweater with a brown skirt and maroon stockings. Pleased with her ability to remember things, she took her bag downstairs and then started when she saw the time on the clock. She had to leave right then. She once again had to depend on the energy from a small granola bar. She grabbed the snack and made a dash to her car. Hopping in, she backed out of the garage and made her way to school. She arrived at school fairly quickly and rushed to her locker. She opened her locker and quickly took her books out. She put them into her bag and closed her locker. She then felt herself quickly get flipped around. Her back was pressed harshly against the locker. She was met with cruel, condescending eyes.

Karofsky smirked as he saw the look of absolute terror cross her face. "Hey there, Berry. Hold still and I'll make this as painless as possible," he said. It was then that she saw the slushie in his hand. She quickly closed her eyes. "Keep your eyes open, Berry," he sneered at her. She reluctantly replied. He smirked and raised the cup high over her head. He then slowly tipped it, drawing out the painful process. She kept her eyes opened, finally defeated after the long struggle that it took to break her. She felt every drop as the slushie raced down her hair and onto her face, between her eyes. She saw the droplets running down her nose and she felt like she could burst into tears. When he finally stepped away, he smirked and high fived a fellow hockey member before walking away, leaving her to her shame.

She was about to go change but she saw Noah approach her with a slushie in his hand so she stayed rooted to the spot. When he was in front of her she said, "Just make it quick." He didn't throw it at her though. Instead, he offered it tot her. "I saw what happened… that was a bit out of line. I was going to throw it at you but you've suffered enough today." With that he pushed it into her hand. He waited a few awkward beats before asking, "Do you need help cleaning off?" She didn't speak, she simply nodded

He led her to the boy's bathroom and quickly locked the door behind them. He awkwardly told her to kneel in front of the sink and once over she did, he turned on the water and flipped her hair over her head so that it was under the flow of water. He began to run his hand through her hair, combing out the ice. Once her hair was slushie free, he turned her around and had her sit under a hand dryer. Quickly turning it on the air began to rapidly dry her hair. He then grabbed a paper towel and wet that. He kneeled in front of her and began to wipe the slushie from her face. "There we go; you're slushie free. Do you have extra clothes?" She nodded her head and shakily got to her feet. She walked into a stall, shut the door, and began to change into her spare clothes.

Puck frowned. He didn't like the way she was acting. This wasn't like her. She would normally been talking a mile a minute, giving him the urge to light himself on fire. He didn't like this quite her. It was… abnormal. He felt like he just stepped into the _Twilight Zone_. He was pulled out of his thought when he heard the stall door open. He was stunned when he saw the outfit… it was semi normal. She had a blank expression on her face as she stood before him. "I should get to class. I'm surprised the bell hasn't rung yet," she said before hoisting her bag over her shoulder. "Thank you, Noah," she muttered before she left. He stared after her before he got to his feet. He looked to his left and saw the slushie that she hadn't touched. He took a bug swallow out of it and then made his way down the hall.

The rest of the day went by pretty uneventfully for Rachel. She felt the sinking feeling of despair as she realized she deserved the treatment Karofsky had given her. After all, failures didn't deserve sympathy. When the bell rang for lunch, she once again walked the short distance to the cafeteria. She saw her fellow Glee Club members so she shyly walked over to them and nervously asked to sit with them. The group exchanged strange looks before looking at her. Mercedes is the one that spoke up saying, "you can just sit down, babe. You don't have to ask." Rachel gave a weak smile at this and reclaimed the seat between Mercedes and Kurt. They all noticed that Rachel once again had no food with her. It didn't seem like she was going to get some from the cafeteria. "Are y-y-you not eating again?" Tina asked. Rachel nodded. Kurt raised one of his perfectly shaped eyebrows. "Really? Was it another big breakfast?" He asked suspiciously. She nodded her head a blank look on her face. "Huh. I see," he said while staring her in the eye, trying to break her poker face. She was an expert though; not allowing him to read any emotion in her eyes.

He eventually gave up turning to chat with Mercedes. Rachel decided to try to catch up on her homework and busied her self with that. She was pulled away from it when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up to see Noah standing over her. He gave his head a jerk to the side; gesturing for her to follow. She sighed but stood up to follow him. He led her from the cafeteria and the two then proceeded to walk into the hallway.

When they were a good distance away from the cafeteria, he turned to face her. "You okay? You've been acting kind of off but that's expected after what Karofsky did to you. He's a huge dick head," he said with a chuckle. "I'm fine. A little humiliated but that's expected," she said. He frowned. Her voice sounded quiet, shy and Rachel Berry was _not_ a shy person. He sighed. ". If you say you're okay alright, but"- he was cut off by the bell. She gave him a sympathetic smile. "I have to go. Thank you for the concern, Noah," she said before turning her back on him and walking in the opposite direction.

By the time Glee rolled around, Rachel was exhausted. She had no energy whatsoever. She walked slowly into the choir room, and saw once again she was the last one in the room. She took her seat away from everyone else and closed her eyes, slowly falling asleep. She began to feel sorry for herself once again. _"They don't want you here. You're a nuisance. The only reason they keep you around is because of your talent." _Her eyes opened when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Kurt standing above her. He held something in his and offered it to her. She looked at it, saw it was a candy bar and shook her head 'no'. "Take the chocolate bar, Rachel. You look dead on your feet. You need a pick-me-up," he said trying desperately to get her to eat something. Rachel decided to act her way out again. "Kurt I love chocolate as much as the next girl, but we're about to rehearse. Chocolate would make singing difficult because it coats the vocal chords. I really do appreciate the offer Kurt," she said, giving him a fake smile.

Kurt looked at her before nodding and walking back to Tina, Mercedes, and Artie. When he reclaimed his seat and sighed. "She didn't take it?" Tina asked. Kurt shook his head. "There's something in that diva's head that she's not letting on about," he said while glancing in Rachel's direction. She had shut her eyes again and her head was lulling to the side to rest against her shoulder. "Do you think she has an eating disorder?" Artie spoke up. "Maybe. We don't know if she eats when she goes home. She may be telling the truth about not being hungry but there is definitely something going on with her."

They could not talk about the subject any further because Mr. Shuster walked into the room. He saw Rachel and walked up to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she suddenly jolted up, startled. The four looked at each other. "Maybe she's j-j-just sick," Tina whispered. They shrugged and let the subject drop…for now.

Mr. Shuster looked at Rachel in concern. "Rachel I think you should go home and rest up. You look exhausted," he said. She nodded her head and stood up. "Thanks, Mr. Shue." She then picked up her bag and began to walk to her car. In truth she really didn't feel good. She wanted to go home, eat a decent meal and go to sleep. She walked to her car got in and started to drive home. When she arrived at home, she pulled into the garage and cut the engine off. She got out of the car and walked inside her house. She went to the kitchen and turned on the stove. She dug out a pot and put water into it. She set it on the stove and proceeded to make herself macaroni and cheese. When it was done she sat at the table and ate it as she did her homework. When she was finished she put the bowl into the dishwasher. She then returned to doing her homework and when she was done she curled up with a book. She was in the process of reading _'__The Last Song__'. _That is how she fell asleep; curled up on her couch, reading the book.

The next morning she woke up on the couch. She instantly jolted awake and ran up the stairs to dress for school since she had no time to shower. She raced back downstairs, grabbed a banana and ran to her car. She ate it on the drive to school and pulled into the parking lot. She disposed of the banana peal and walked to her locker. Once she had put some books away and grabbed others, she shut her locker only to see Noah walking towards her with a slushie in his hand. She gasped and closed her eyes tightly. She waited to feel the icy sting but it never came. She opened her eyes to see him standing in front of her. "I picked it up for you when I was buying dip. It's grape. I know that's your favorite because the last time I tossed a grape one in your face you licked your lips before you cleaned yourself off," he said as he handed it to her, and then reached behind his ear for the straw. She took it in her hand and blinked a few times, dumbfounded. "Mr. Shuster assigned us to make a mash up of _Bust a Move._ We're supposed to find a song to go with it. What do you say we work together?" He asked.

She was shocked. Not only had he not given her a slushie facial, but now he was asking to work with her. Did that mean he was asking her out? "Do you mean like a date?" She asked after a moment's hesitation. He shifted on his feet a little before nodding. "Yeah. Like a date," he said suddenly getting a little nervous. He didn't know if she was going to reject him and rejection was not something he took lightly… considering he'd never really been rejected. She bit her lip before taking the straw from its wrapping and put it into the slushie. "Yes. I would be delighted to," she said. He smirked and then began to walk along side her as they made their way down the hall, Rachel sipping nonchalantly on her slushie.

The day started out pretty well. Then it happened. She saw Quinn Fabray take a slushie to the face. Rachel, feeling bad, instantly walked up to Quinn. "Come on," she whispered before she led the cheerleader to the bathroom. She had Quinn sit down and she started to wash the slushie out of her hair. "Why are you being so nice to me? I've tortured you," the blonde asked. Rachel smiled. "You didn't know what it felt like to receive those slushie facials. Now you do. I'm never been one to hold a grudge…" Rachel trailed off. She handed Quinn a towel before she stepped back a bit awkwardly. Quinn quickly used it to towel off her hair. She looked up at Rachel as she stood up. "Thank you," Quinn said. With that the two girls made their way out the door only to see Finn. If he was a cartoon character, smoke would be coming out of his ears. He took Quinn into his arms for a hug but then gently pushed her to the side. He glared at Rachel.

"Didn't I tell you to leave us alone? Do I need to get a restraining order? What is wrong with you, you loser!" "Hey! Don't you _**dare**_talk to my girlfriend like that, Hudson," Puck said coming out of nowhere and standing in front of Rachel. Finn was taken a back. "You're dating, Puck?" He said his voice quiet and eyes questioning. "You don't talk to her. Back off man. You don't see me talking to Quinn like that," Puck said before wrapping an arm around Rachel's shoulder and steering her in the opposite direction. "Don't listen to him, baby. You're not a loser," he whispered into her ear. She didn't listen though. "_Finn's right. I am a loser," _she thought_._ "So how about we go over to your house to practice after school?" He asked. She thought for a moment before nodding. "My dads won't be home until tomorrow," she said and his eyes widened. "We don't have to then… I can arrange for my little sister to…" Rachel cut him off. "It's alright, Noah. We are mature adults and we can handle being home alone for a while," she said. He nodded a little nervous now. He would have to work really hard at keeping his hands off of her. By that time they had reached the lunch room. They stood awkwardly together, confused as to what they would do. Now that they were together who did they sit with; the glee club or the jocks. They came from different cliques. This had the potential to be very difficult. Rachel bit her lip before she said, "do you want me to sit with someone else?" He growled a no way in hell. "Then we should probably sit with your jock friends. It would be less detrimental to your reputation," she said. He didn't understand a word that she had said in the last sentence but managed to get the fact that she said that she would sit with his friends.

He brought her over to the lunch line and Noah waited to get his food. He got his food then noticed she didn't have anything. "Are you going to eat, baby?" He asked, eyeing her carefully. She shook her head. "I'm not very hungry." In truth she was starving. He looked at her harshly. "Babe, I'm an expert liar. I know when others are lying to me," he said as he led her over to the jock table. As he went to sit down Rachel stood awkwardly for a moment before she sat. "What are you doing here loser? You belong over there," Azimio said pointing in the direction of the Glee table. Before she could say anything to defend herself, Noah spoke up. "She's with me. Lay off her out I'll beat the living shit out of you." The table went quiet for a moment. Azimio looked at the two. "So are you two an item now?" Rachel looked over to Noah nervously. Noah put a hand under her chin and brought her lips to his kissing her forcefully. She responded a bit timidly at first but then she got into it. He didn't allow her to pull away until he needed to breathe. Luckily she had a singer's lungs so she was able to go without air for a while. When he finally released her, both were panting for air. Noah looked up at Azimio. "Does that answer your question?" Azimio held his hands up in defense before returning to his conversation with another football player.

Rachel folded her hand in her lap and looked down. Noah looked at her. "You okay baby?" He asked. She nodded in response and gave him a smile. In truth she was nervous being around her tormentors. She didn't like it but would do it for Noah. He looked at his plate, grabbed the most appetizing things (an apple and a cookie) and offering it to her. "Here. Since you didn't get yourself anything, take this," he said. She didn't seem to like the idea very much, but she took the items in her hand. She looked at him and took a bite of the apple. She hadn't realized how hungry she had been so she took another bite. Puck smiled and nodded his head and then turned back to his friends. He noticed how quiet she was being but he thought she was just a bit shy.

Rachel finished the apple and the cookie, her hunger satisfied. He was chatting with his friends so she opted to remain quiet. She didn't want to draw attention to herself. As the lunch bell rang, she stood up, prepared to go to her next class. Noah put his hand on her arm, stopping her. He nodded his farewell to his friends before he stood to join her. He linked an arm through her hers and began to lead her to her next class. "You okay, baby?" He asked as they walked. She quietly nodded her head and he looked at her. This wasn't the Rachel Berry he knew. The day past quickly and before they knew it, Puck was following Rachel's car to her home.

He parked in the drive way while she parked in the garage. He followed her into the house and the two made her way into the kitchen. "Would you like a snack?" Rachel asked. He simply nodded. He was a growing boy after all. She brought out a bowl of grapes and he began to eat them quickly. He then noticed that she wasn't eating herself. She was only sipping on her water. He took one of the wines and held it out to her. When she reached for one with her hand, he pulled it away. "Uh uh ah. Bite it off," he said smirking. "Noah, that's a bit barbaric. I would rather not…" she said. He on the other insisted so she leaned forward as he once again held the vine out to her. She gingerly bit down on one and gently yanked it away from the vine. She chewed it and scowled at the look of triumph on his face. "So what do you think would be a good mash up for 'Bust a Move'?" This was the beginning of hours of trying to find a mash up for the song… and have a make out session or two.

Noah left around 6 O Clock and on his way home he got a call from Karofsky. He had no idea how that dick had got his number. He picked up the phone and spoke a 'hello' into it. "Dude you need to break up with Berry," he heard the voice say. "And what if I don't?" He growled back into the phone. "Then she'll suffer. If you thought what happened today was bad, wait to see what else we can do to her." With that the line went dead. Puck froze before he put the phone down. He entered a state of mental shock. He didn't know what to do now.

The next morning when he saw her in school he made sure he stayed close to her when she was at her locker; chattering away without a care in the world. He saw Karofsky who smirked at him. He instinctively flipped him off which seemed to anger Karofsky. Karofsky looked at Rachel and licked his lips and Noah's eyes flashed with anger. They then flickered to Rachel and he opened his mouth to talk but then closed it. She looked so happy that it pained him to do it to her but he could at least warn her right? "Rachel I need to tell you something. Karofsky called me yesterday and told me that if I didn't break up with you, he would do something to you," he said and her face fell. "Are you breaking up with me," she asked tears welling in her eyes. He instantly went into panic mode. "No! I'm telling you to be careful. If he so much as slushies you I want to know about it. Okay?" He said. She nodded her head biting her lip nervously. He then brought her into his arms and hugged her close, letting her hide her face in his chest.

The day went on and Puck was constantly on alert for threats of an attack from Karofsky. The tragedy didn't happen until Glee Club. The two were on their way to the club. Puck opened the door for her thinking he was being a gentleman when a bucket full of cherry flavored slushie landed on her head, successfully drenching her from head to toe and having it land on her head, blinding her was icing on the cake for Karofsky. The club instantly turned to the couple and gasped. Puck whirled around and saw Karofsky high five his hockey friend before turning and running down the hall after he yelled "Hey now you're a blue-**Berry**!" Mr. Shuster had appeared at the door at the commotion and shouted but to no avail. The culprits were gone only leaving the bucket and a shaking Rachel in their wake. She shakily raised her hands to lift the bucket but only lifted it so she could see. She took in the sight of the club staring at her. Santana and Brittany were trying not to laugh. Mercedes and Tina had a hand over their mouths. Artie looked like he thought she was a time bomb waiting to explode. Matt and Mike had expressions of sympathy on their faces. Kurt looked horrified at the slushie puddle around her face. Finn was staring at her blankly. Quinn… Quinn looked like she caught between shock and pity. Mr. Shuster grabbed the bucket off her head and said, "Oh Rachel, this is awful. Did you say who it was?" Before Puck could say anything Rachel said, "No. Can I go home now? I want to change." Mr. Shuster nodded and she dragged Puck with her not waiting to explain why she wanted him.

When they were out of sight and earshot she stopped to face him. "Noah I think we should break up. This is only going to get worse. I'm sorry that it didn't work out but…" she trailed off. Noah leaned down and pressed a slow, soft kiss to her forehead. He pulled away and gave her a sad look. "I hope we can still stay friends," she said, still wanting to stay close to the boy. He looked at her before taking a deep breath and saying, "We weren't friends before." With that he turned and walked back to the choir room.

When she got to her car she broke down sobbing. Her life sucked. Nobody liked her. Noah was the first to show her kindness in several days so she had soaked it up. She was truly pitiful. She let the sobs rack her body as she drove home, truly beginning to despise herself. She had failed once again. She failed at holding a boy's affection for more than three days. When would things work out for her?

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry for the delay. Something has happened in my life that is going to make me start updating slower. Bear with me. I hope you liked this chapter. Please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Just want to clarify that this will be eventual Finchel.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

Rachel sat in the choir room. She had not spoken to Noah since they had broken up but he hadn't slushied her. That didn't help her confidence. The fact that Noah was taking pity on her was depressing. He never took pity on anyone. She must have been a pathetic, screwed up girl.

She looked around the choir room. Mike, Puck, and Matt were break dancing in the corner. Santana and Brittany were watching them laughing. Artie, Kurt, Tina and Mercedes were sitting in the corner whispering among themselves. She saw Finn and Quinn arguing in a corner. All of a sudden she heard Quinn yell out, "You need to help me with this, Finn. You need to prove to me that I chose the right guy to have a baby with!" She then turned and stormed off towards her cheerleader friends. She had been kicked off the cheerleaders and the blonde looked odd out of the uniform.

She looked at Finn and saw that he seemed shocked. His mouth hung slightly open and his shoulders were hunched. She felt bad and wanted to comfort him but knew better. It would only get her humiliated and even more depressed then before. She shut her eyes. She felt the beginning of a headache coming on. She had been getting them lately. Her clothes felt looser too. She couldn't really bring herself to care though. She was a failure after all. Failures didn't deserve anything.

Puck looked over at Rachel. He didn't like the changes he was seeing in her. She had lost weight and she was already thin to begin with. Her eyes were becoming duller everyday and she seemed to stop caring about life itself. He didn't like her… they had a fling but that was it, but that didn't mean that he didn't care about her well being. She had stopped talking in Glee altogether. She sang but it was clear that her heart wasn't in it.

As a matter of fact it was hard not to miss the changes in Rachel. Even Brittany was noticing. She didn't know the tiny brunette well and even she knew something was wrong. The poor girl was probably lonely, but Santana would get mad if she tried to cheer her up. She didn't like it when Santana was mad at her so she decided to ignore her.

Mr. Shuster walked into the room, clearly a bit distraught. "Hey guys. We have some things that need to be addresses. First off, I did some research about what judges like and I got us a new song for sectionals. Now, I know that pop songs are our signature thing but the judges like pieces they're familiar with," he said as he began passing out sheet music. "Defying Gravity? I have an Ipod shuffle dedicated exclusively to '_Wicked_'," Kurt said as he felt himself get excited. "Think you can handle it Rachel?" He asked. He knew something was wrong with his star. She looked at the music he had handed to her and bit her lip. She didn't know if she could do the song justice. "I… I can try." Mr. Shuster raised an eyebrow. She normally would have jumped at the chance to sing it.

Everyone was staring at her, making her very uncomfortable. She shifted uneasily. "Okay… next order of business," he said as he saw the poor girl's discomfort, "Principal Figgins won't may for the special bus for Artie to come with us. So we need to raise the money. I want everyone to contribute something for a bake sale," he said, expecting them to be excited. They had the opposite reaction looking at each other. "Mr. Shuster, we can't bake," Quinn said quietly. Everyone nodded their agreement except Rachel. She couldn't help feel bad but the girl stayed quiet. She watched as they each put up pitiful excuses. Mr. Shuster let it drop as the bell rang. Rachel bolted for the door and was soon enough in her own house.

As she sat at the kitchen table she thought about how she felt; alone, betrayed, lost. Nobody deserved that feeling. She went to her cupboard and got out her cupcake mix. With that she proceeded to make the cupcakes for the bake sale.

The next day she went to school early and went straight to Mr. Shuster room. She carried the cupcakes in several boxes which were neatly stacked in a bag. She knocked on the door to the choir room and Mr. Shuster looked at her. "Hi, Rachel. What's up?" He asked. She put the bag on his desk and said, "I just wanted to drop these cupcakes off. I made them for the bake sale." Mr. Shuster looked shocked. "Gee thanks Rachel. I'm sure they're great," he said with a smile. She nodded before making her way back into the hallway. She was about to open her locker when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Quinn standing there. Rachel took a step back and looked around for Finn saying, "I'm not supposed to be near you. Finn-" Quinn cut her off. "Screw, Finn. I just wanted to thank you for what you did the other day… you didn't deserve what Finn said to you either," Quinn was about to leave but stopped and said, "this doesn't mean we're friends." With that the tall blonde walked away. Rachel gave a sad smile and let her shoulders sag. She truly was pitiful.

At the end of the day, the tiny brunette made her way into Glee rehearsal and once again took a seat by herself. She closed her eyes and soon felt herself drifting into a peaceful sleep. She was rudely awakened when she felt a hand shaking her shoulder. She snapped her eyes open and saw Mike and Matt looking at her. "Are you alright there, girlie?" Mike asked. "Yeah you seem out of it," Matt asked. Rachel's eyes were still trying to focus. She nodded tiredly. "Yeah… I'm just tired," she said as she sat up a little straighter. "Well, Girlie you don't look so good," Mike said. "I assure you that I'm alright," Rachel said just as Mr. Shuster walked in.

"I have something I want to say," Kurt said after Mr. Shuster called the meeting to order. "I would like to audition for the _Wicked_ solo," Kurt said, placing his hands on his hips. Rachel's head shot up and she bit her lip before dropping it down. "Kurt there's a high 'F' in it." "That's well within my range," Kurt shot back. "I'm sure Rachel will do a great job. I'll make sure to get you a solo with a killer high note, Mr. Shue tried to reason, doubting that he really could. Kurt sat down, disappointed.

"Next order of business, I was disappointed in the way you all were so willing to take the bus together to sectionals and were totally okay with making Artie drive by himself. You guys don't understand how much harder, Artie has to work to keep up," Mr. Shuster spoke. Artie muttered 'preach'. "You guys will do the bake sale or we're not going to sectionals and glee Club is over." Everyone groaned and sat up. "Now I made the banner so all you need to make is the sweets. So get those in tomorrow and we'll get this rolling," he said. When rehearsal was over, Rachel was completely exhausted. She was tired a lot these days. When she got home, she was greeted by the scent of turkey and had to keep herself from vomiting. Her nerdy dad poked his head into the room and instantly came forward to greet her, "Hi sweetheart. Are you alright," he asked when he saw her sad look. "I'm fine daddy," she said. She began to make her way towards the stairs. "Star, where are you going? Aren't you going to eat? We made you a fruit salad," he said. She turned and sighed, "Okay daddy…" and with that she followed him into the kitchen. She greeted her other dad with a kiss on the cheek before sitting at the table, picking at the salad in front of her.

After dinner, she sat with her fathers on the couch and watched a movie. About half way through it she felt her eyes grow heavy. She succumbed to her tiredness and let her eyes flutter shut, falling into a peaceful sleep. She was soon brought from her sleep when she felt the couch disappear from beneath her. She groggily looked up to see her dad smiling at her, her daddy right beside him. He carried her up the stairs and placed her gently under her covers. He kissed her forehead and then his partner did the same. They exited the room and looked at each other. "She's lost weight… she was almost to light to begin with but now… I don't know what to do, Joe. I'm worried about her," Eliot Berry said. Joseph put his hand on his partner's shoulder and kissed his cheek gently. "I know but maybe she's just eating healthier…" The man struggled to come up with other reasons. The two sighed before going to their bedroom, praying for everything to become normal once again.

Rachel stood at her locker the next day. She was exhausted and could barely keep her eyes open. She was a little surprise, to say the least, when Mike and Matt stopped in front of her. "Girl, you look like you are sleep walking," Matt said taking in her frazzled appearance. "Yeah, no offense, but you don't look so good," Mike added in. She sighed, beginning to get annoyed with everyone asking if she was alright. Failures didn't deserve concern. "I'm fine. I just didn't sleep well," she said and with that they walked away, satisfied by her answer. She walked down the hall to her first class, already counting down the minutes until she was allowed to go home.

When lunch came around she walked into the cafeteria and sat down at the table that was covered in her cupcakes along with various other treats. She pulled up a seat and kept her mouth shut. The others were chatting happily, not a care in the world. She saw Azimio and Karofsky approach the table. They stopped in front of them. "What are you geeks doing now?" Karofsky asked. "We're having a bake sale," Quinn said, twirling her hair around her finger. "Really? Let's see what they taste like," Azimio said picking up a cupcake. Rachel realized it was one of hers and waited anxiously to see his reaction. After he placed a dollar on the table, he took a bite. He chewed for a minute before his eyes lit with a fire and he began to devour it like an animal. Karofsky, surprised followed his lead and grabbed a cupcake, throwing a dollar on the table. He took one bite of the cupcake and then swallowed the rest in on bite. When it was down his throat he stared at the club dumbfounded.

"Alright, which one of you made those?" Azimio asked. Rachel took a shaky breath. "I did," she muttered. The two jocks looked at her and smirked. "Not bad, Berry. We'll take five a piece." She went wide eyes but started to gather the cupcakes. The jocks paid for the food but then Azimio grabbed a chair and stood on it. "Yo! Everyone try these cupcakes!" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the student body made a mad dash for the food. The Glee Club was soon handing out treats left and right. By the time lunch was halfway over they had sold out. "We'll be selling again tomorrow!" And with that the Glee club had managed to raise $300.00 of the $1,200.00 dollars they needed.

After they had finished, Rachel was standing to leave when she felt a hand clap her on the back. She stumbled from the force and stood on shaky legs. "Way to go Berry! Did you put crack in those?" Puck asked with a smirk. She smiled timidly. "No. I just used a family recipe," she said. "Well can you make more? Those go faster than Brit changes sexual partners," Mercedes said. "It's true," the blonde said. Rachel was a bit shocked but nodded her head. "Yeah, I can try," she said, surprised she had done something right for once.

By the time Glee had rolled around, Mr. Shuster had heard about what she had done. He gave her an approving smile as she walked into Spanish. Now as she sat in Glee, Mr. Shuster had a bitter sweet look on his face. "Hey guys. Now it isn't fair for me to preach about helping Artie with the bake sale and then totally deny Kurt's request. So we are going to have a diva off," Mr. Shuster said clapping his hands together. "Mr. Shuster…" "Rachel I know I already gave you the part but it's not fair to Kurt if I don't let him audition." Mr. Shuster said, exasperated by her diva attitude, although he was a little happy to see it come back. "I was just going to say give him the part. I've heard him hit the note. I've heard him sing the song the other day and he did excellent… a little sharp could be fixed but if he works on that," she said quietly. Everyone's head snapped around at that. They looked at the girl like she had grown a second head.

"How, did you hear that? I made sure I was alone," Kurt said, looking at her with wide eyes. "The other day. I was walking past the auditorium and I heard you," she said a little bashful. Mr. Shuster sighed. He thought she was coming back but he was wrong. "Rachel, that's not fair to you either," he said. "It's alright… Kurt doesn't have a single solo. I have plenty and I know he really wants this one," she said. Mr. Shuster sighed in defeat. "Alright, Rachel, if that's what you really want. Kurt, give the solo a try," he says. Kurt looked at Rachel, with a strange look in his eye.

Kurt stood and sang through the song and Rachel had been right. He was good. That night she stopped at the store to pick up supplies for cupcakes. When she got home she began to make them and was finally able to go to sleep. She was exhausted and was sleeping as soon as her head hit the pillow. She woke the next morning and grabbed a banana and headed out the door. She was tired but brought the cupcakes to the bake sale at lunch. She had just finished setting up when a line began to form. As her fellow Glee club took seats beside her, they didn't hesitate and threw themselves into selling the treats.

Kurt kept glancing at Rachel, seeing her hand out cupcakes and taking money. He knew something was up with her and her giving up the solo was the thing that set it in place. He was going to make it his personal goal to get her to admit she had a problem and he would help her through it. She had just given up a solo for him… and this is _Rachel Berry!_ Something was going on in her head and he didn't like it.

Mr. Shuster sat with Emma Pillsbury in her office. He sighed. "I don't know what I'm gonna do about Rachel, Emma," Will sighed in defeat. He slumped down in the chair. "What's she doing to annoy everyone now? Trying to let you allow her to be a one woman show choir?" Emma asked as she scrubbed the window of her office, trying to bring his spirits up. It had the opposite reaction. "I wish she would… Emma I'm worried about her," he said. That got Emma's attention. "Um… okay. Will, tell me what's going on with her. What changes have been present in her?" She asked, taking a seat across from him and folding her hands. Mr. Shuster took a second to recollect his thoughts and memories of Rachel in the past week and a half.

"Well, for starters she lost weight. She was thin to begin with but it's almost getting to the point of being underweight. She falls asleep a lot now… I don't even think she means to. It's like she can't keep her eyes open. She doesn't participate in class any more. She just takes notes and she's still doing well, but it's abnormal. She's shy and bulks away from things. She just doesn't have any want to fight. The biggest change is the fact that she just gave up a solo… _willingly_! She doesn't sing with passion anymore. She doesn't say much either. She just hangs off to the side and minds herself. I don't know what's wrong with her," he said.

Emma stared at him with wide eyes. She blinked and took a deep breath before she began to explain her thoughts to will. "Will, from what you've just told me it's sounds like she may be in a depression. I would have to talk to her to find out for sure but it could also be an eating disorder. That would explain the fatigue and weight loss… if she has bulimia then it may bug her throat to sing due to the damage her stomach acids did to her vocal cords. That may not be a possibilities because I caught her trying to make herself puke her guts out once and she said she would never do it but maybe she lied…" Emma trailed off.

Will ran a hand through his hair. "What do you think I should do?" He asked. "Well, just try to get her to open up… maybe the two of us can sit her down and have a little chat with her. Just make her feel safe. If she in a depression, she probably feels scared. She's really an insecure little girl and she needs comfort," Emma said. Will was silent for a moment. "Pick a day that's good for you. We'll have that talk… soon. The sooner we get her back to her normal self the better," he said. He felt bad for his lead girl. He had ignored the signs until now, and it was time to help her.

That afternoon he came into the choir room and was startled to see a smiling Glee Club. Finn stepped forward with a happy spring in his step. "We did it Mr. Shue. We raised the money," he said. Artie wheeled himself forward and handed an envelope to Mr. Shuster. Inside of it was money. "There's $1,200 dollars in there. I can come with you guys now," Artie said with a smile on his face. Mr. Shuster patted his shoulder and smiled. "Great work, guys. I'm so happy with you," he said, truly proud of his kids. Maybe this was a sign… maybe things were going to get better.

Rachel smiled to herself. Maybe she was doing something good. Maybe her luck was turning and she wouldn't be a failure anymore. She saw Finn look at her and his eyes hardened and she felt herself shrink back. Or maybe she would remain a loser for ever. Her good mood crushed she walked back to her corner and wrapped her arms around herself letting her heavy eye lids slowly close and her brain succumb to sleep. As Mr. Shuster looked over his heart sank. He would help her.

**Author's Note:**

** I'm back in school. Updates will come slower. Please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

** Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

Will Shuster sat in the choir room. He was excited about this week's lesson. As the class filled in he took note of who was present. He noticed Rachel was the last one in and she snuggled into herself, closing her eyes. Will inwardly frowned. Getting back into the lesson he turned around and scrawled 'ballad' on the board. "Who can tell me what a ballad is?" He asked as he turned back around, taking note that Rachel had opened her eyes wearily and was now attempting to stay focused on the lesson. "It's a male duck," Brittany said. That got many strange look.

Kurt rolled his eyes and spoke, "a ballad is a love song." "Not always. A ballad is a story set to music. It is also your assignment for this week. You will sing a song to your partner telling them your feelings for them," Mr. Shuster said. "I pick Quinn," Finn said right off the bat. "Nope. To easy. Your partners will be chosen by fate," and with that he pulled out a hat filled with his students' names. "I bet the ducks in the hat," he heard Brittany say. Shrugging it off he paused for a moment. "Where's Matt?" He asked. "They found a spider in his ear. He's been in the hospital since third period," Santana said. Everyone cringed at this.

"I guess I'll just put my name in the hat…," Mr. Shuster said as he dug out the piece of paper with Matt's name on it and scrawled his own on it instead. Placing it back into the hat he mixed the names together and began to go down the list of people's names that weren't in the hat. One by one people were partnered up and soon enough Rachel was the only person still left without a partner. "Guess that means we're partners Rachel," Will said as he attempted to get her attention. That is when he got a good look at her eyes. Her normally fiery eyes were dead. She had no fight in her eyes; no life. As she gave a sluggish nod he heard Finn speak up. "Maybe we should just wait for Matt to get back," and then when Mr. Shuster wasn't listening he added, "Nobody should have to deal with the diva." That got a titter out of the group.

"The fates have spoken Finn. We're doing the project this week. No exceptions," Mr. Shuster said. With that he called the rehearsal and watched as each of his students walked out of the room. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. His leading girl was falling apart right before his eyes and he didn't know what to do. Deciding that he would call Emma in tomorrow and the two of them would have a long talk with the young starlet. "Rachel, hang back a minute," he said. Rachel paused as she was already half way out the door. She sighed and turned around, walking the short distance back to the room.

"Yes, Mr. Shuster?" She asked and he frowned deeply. Her voice was tired, exhausted, and dead. It was just so odd hearing someone usually so full of energy sound like they had just walked a thousand miles nonstop. Her eyelids were dropping once again. "We need to rehearse this so how do you feel about staying here and practicing after school tomorrow?" The girl only nodded her head. "Great," he said. "Bye Mr. Shuster." With that the girl was out the door. He sighed. She needed help.

Quinn sat at a booth in a restaurant. She had Mercedes on her left Tina on her right and across from her were Kurt, Brittany, and Santana. Puck and Artie sat on the end, Artie having to because of the wheelchair. "Alright, let's cut to the chase. Something is up with our resident diva. Am I the only one noticing those purple bruises under her eyes?" Kurt spoke up. "She can barely stay awake in rehearsal," Artie pitched in. "She's lost weight and she was already one damn hot babe to begin with," Puck added. "She doesn't really eat at lunch," Tina tossed in. "She doesn't sing," Santana pitched in. "She doesn't talk," Mercedes said.

They all paused awkwardly as they waited for someone else to say something. They sat in silence looking at one another for what felt like hours but was really about 30 seconds. "So… what are we going to do?" Quinn spoke up. "I don't k-k-know. What can we do?" Tina asked.

"Do you think she's anorexic?" Artie spoke asked. "That would explain the tiredness," Santana mused. "What if she's bulimic? That would explain why she doesn't want to sing. The stomach acid is hurting her throat," Mercedes said. "What if she's just sad," Brittany said. Everyone gave her an odd look. "What? When I'm sad I usually don't want to do much but sleep," Brittany trailed off. Santana turned to face her best friend and put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't think that's it Brit," Santana said. Brittany looked down sadly and sighed. "We still don't know what's wrong with Berry," Puck said.

"Alright well let's take this one step at a time. She's lost weight. How can we get her to gain it back?" Quinn said. "Can't we just force it down her throat? She probably weighs what? 100…110 pounds? I bench more than that everyday. Plus she's a midget. She dated me too. I know all her weaknesses. I can easily get her to do anything," Puck said as he flexed his muscles. Quinn rolled her eyes. "Yeah and then what if she becomes bulimic if she isn't already? We can't force her into anything," the blonde said. Just then the waitress came with the food they had ordered. Setting each meal in front of the person who it belonged to, the waitress finished her work and left. As they began to dig into their food a silence over swept over the table. The only thought on everyone's minds: how to help Rachel Barbra Berry.

Finn Hudson sat in his bedroom. He had just finished a three mile run and was about to go take a shower. As he made his way into the bathroom he thought about the baby… his baby. He had no idea how to take care of a baby. He had to get help. He had to tell his mom. He decided to do so after he showered. Walking to his bathroom he stripped himself of his clothing and turned on the warm water. He let it run for a moment before stepping under the warm spray. He began to scrub his body clean as the water ran down his body.

Once he was done, he wrapped a towel around her hips and stepped back into his rooms. He put on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt before making his way down the stairs. His heart began to thump against his chest as he walked down the stairs. He gulped and made his way to the kitchen. As he walked in he saw his mother sitting at the table eating fruit out of a dish. He cleared his throat and his mother looked up. "Mom I need to talk to you," Finn said as he sat down next to her. His mom looked turned to one of concern and she said, "Finn, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Finn sat down and looked at his mom. "Quinn's pregnant… I'm the father," Finn said as his shoulders sagged. She gasped and Finn started to cry. All the pent up emotions he had been feeling, built up inside him. His mom stood up and began to rub his back holding her son close to her. "Shh… it's going to be okay," she whispered as she repeated it. He knew it would be at that moment. His mom was there that is all he needed.

Quinn stared at Finn, not caring who saw her look with a look of shock. She had just found out what he had done. "How could you tell your mom? What if she tells my mom?" She asked as she poked his chest. "No she's not…" Finn began but was then cut off by Quinn. "No think Finn. For once in your life, you need to think!" With that the pregnant girl walked down the hall way. He slammed his fist against a locker and turned down the hall making his way to class.

Will Shuster sat at the piano anxiously tapping his pencil, waiting for the final bell to ring. He was waiting for the end of the day. He couldn't wait to finally talk to Rachel about what was wrong with her. Emma knocked on his door. He smiled. Almost show time. All he needed was the girl of the hour. It wasn't until 5 minutes after the bell rang that Rachel appeared. She dragged herself into the room and stopped when she saw Emma standing there. "What's Ms. Pillsbury doing here?" Rachel asked as she crept into the room.

Mr. Shuster stood up and pulled two chairs down from the risers in the room. He dragged them over to the piano bench. He spun them around so that they formed a triangle. He pointed to a chair and spoke, "Have a seat, Rachel." Rachel froze and looked at him like a deer in headlights. He gave her a pointed look and she slowly moved to sit in the chair. He took a seat in front of her and Ms. Pillsbury took the seat on her right. "What's going on? Did I do something wrong?" She asked timidly. Ms. Pillsbury instantly went into counselor mode.

"Well, Rachel, Mr. Shuster has come to me with some… concerns about you. You've been behaving odd and he wanted to make sure you were okay. Is there anything you've been feeling lately? Anything you've been feeling for a long time?" Emma asked in a gentle tone. Rachel just shook her. "I'm fine… I just…" she tried to think of something to say. Emma nodded her head. "I know you aren't comfortable but we are two adults that care about you and you can trust. Nothing that is said here will leave this room," Emma said.

Rachel was confused. She didn't want to tell them but she was between a rock and a hard place. If she didn't they would probably go to her dads and if she did they would know. Deciding to go ahead and tell them, she squirmed awkwardly. Taking a deep breath, "I feel…" she searched for the right word. "Take your time," Will said, happy she was about to open up. "Um… I feel unwanted," she said, choosing words carefully. "Alright, now where is this feeling coming from? Who is it being directed from?" Emma asked. Rachel fidgeted once again. "Um… the football team, the swim team, the hockey team, the cheerleaders… Glee Club…" she stopped and waited for Mr. Shuster to tell her she was ridiculous.

Will froze and felt his stomach drop. His star singer felt unwanted in a group where he pushed accepting each other. He and Emma shared a look and then Emma snapped back into her job. "Alright. Why do you feel so unwanted in Glee?" Rachel folded her hands in her lap. "Well… I'm slushied on a regular basis. So is everyone else but they help each other get cleaned up. I do it on my own. I don't talk to anyone in the club. I… didn't feel like I could just eat lunch with them… I felt like I needed to ask permission. Whatever I do, I get called a diva. I just feel out of place," Rachel finished, her head hung in shame.

Will put his head in his hands and heaved a sigh. How could he have not realized this sooner? She was never popular but he thought she had some friends. He was wrong. Instead she was alone and had no friends, no one to talk to. He looked up at his student and saw tears in her eyes. She was clearly struggling to keep them back. Will stood up and knelt in front of the tiny girl. She looked so lost and scared. He had never thought that someone so strong could ever look so weak. He put his hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him. "Rachel, we are going to help you become your old self. It may not be easy but it will pay off in the end. I promise," he said at her apprehensive look. Rachel sniffled before she burst into tears, all the pent up emotions she had been feeling spilling over.

She was broken. Mr. Shuster wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to comfort his student. She sobbed into her shoulder as her teacher and mentor rubbed her back. "Shh… its okay sweetie. Just let it out. We'll get you help," he whispered. Emma put her fear of germs to the side and knelt next to Will wrapping her arms around the girl as well. Rachel cried as she let the adults comfort her. After a while her sobs subsided into whimpers and from there they turned into sniffles. Soon it was just the teachers soothing noises that filled the room.

Rachel pulled away when she calmed down. "Rachel, we still need to talk about your weight. Have you been eating?" Emma asked looking the young girl in the eye. Rachel bit her lip before saying, "I'm not hungry anymore if that's what you mean." Emma clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Okay, Rachel. I know that you may not want to but you need to eat. Promise me that you will," Emma demanded. Rachel nodded her head. "Alright. You can go on home now. I'm pretty sure you want to rest up," Will said. Rachel nodded her head and stood. "Thank you. Both of you," she said. With that she walks out the door and the two adults shared a look. Phase one: complete.

That night, Finn did the stupidest thing he had ever done. He told Quinn's parents she was pregnant. The conversation had gotten to the chastity ball and how they were so proud of Quinn for making good choices. They then brought up how teenagers were getting pregnant all over the place. Finn stupidly blurted out, "she's one of them." With that they gave her thirty minutes to pack and then kicked her out. He brought her to his house and asked his mom to let her stay. His mom said yes immediately telling him to get the guest bedroom ready for her.

That night he lay awake. He thought about his life. It was awful at the moment. He didn't think he could have it any worse. He went to bed with those thoughts. That night he had a dream about Rachel Berry. The girl wore that same look she did when she lied to him about trying to protect Quinn. She was simply walking down a hall way but the closer she walked, the more her appearance changed. As she drew closer her eyes became less bright. Her eyelids started to droop. Her hair hung lank and her shoulders slumped. Just as she was about to reach him he woke up, startled.

Why was he dreaming about the person he hated? What was with her appearance changing the way it did? He didn't know. He couldn't care less. He rolled over and grabbed his phone off the nightstand. Checking the time he saw it was only 3 am. He groaned and dropped his head back down, placing the phone back in its place. He closed his eyes and to let himself drift back into a peaceful sleep, Rachel once again far from his mind.

That day in school passed slowly. Rachel was on her way to lunch when she saw the tall boy standing there. He was watching her and his gaze made her uncomfortable. She hurried into the cafeteria and took a seat at the lunch table. The group's eyes instantly turned to her and all conversation stopped. Rachel froze up as the tension filled the air. "Am I not welcome here anymore?" She asked as she went to get up only to have a hand placed on her shoulder, pushing her back down in the seat. Looking over it, she saw that the hand belonged to Noah Puckerman. He gave her a pointed look and she turned around, discouraged from leaving. Instead of sitting, he stood behind her like a guard. Quinn, Santana, and Brittany were then sitting at the table.

Quinn was the first to speak. "We're about to perform a little experiment, Rachel." That just confused the small brunette. Kurt picked an apple up off his plate. "Rachel, we want you to eat this. Will you do it?" He raised one of his eyebrows and held it out in his palm. Rachel hesitated and then remembered that Ms. Pillsbury wanted her to eat more. She took the apple in her hand and studied it for a moment before she bit into it. Taking out a good chunk of the apple she chewed before swallowing. The process went on until the majority of the apple was gone. She placed the remains down and asked, "What was the point of that?" The group was surprised. They were almost positive that she had an eating disorder. Now it was back to square one.

"W-w-w-we just wanted to see if you would eat a granny smith apple. Most people refuse to eat them," Tina quickly covered. Puck took a chance and leaned down to Rachel's ear. "I love red _delicious_," he said his voice dropping into a low, rumbling boom when he said 'delicious'. He blew warm air into her ear then and hoped for a reaction that would get her mind off the apple. She shuddered and he smirked in response. In the few days they had dated he had managed to figure out exactly how to make her squirm. He pulled a chair away from a nerd sitting at a nearby table and pulled it next to Rachel.

As he sat next to her he threw an arm around her shoulders. He then smirked and tried to cop a feel and was relieved when she scolded him, shrugging off his arm. "Noah, I understand that we dated and that we will both usually have a physical attraction to each other, but I must press the fact that we aren't dating and ask you to refrain from touching me in… inappropriate ways," she spoke. He totally had her mind off the apple. He kept an eye on her and was relieved when he saw her happily munching on a carrot. She was eating… that was one problem solved. Nobody in the group missed this fact. A wave of relieve rushed over them as they saw her eating. They were happy that they had been proven wrong.

At Glee that day, Mr. Shuster paid attention to each Glee clubber in turn. He wanted to see how they each treated Rachel. He knew that Kurt and Mercedes weren't fond of her but as he went through it he saw that they had always been cruel to her. Puck and her had a fling but they did have their ups and downs… slushie facials, tee peeing her house, etc. Mike and Matt ignored her… plain and simple. The cheerleaders hated her. Tina and Artie didn't seem to hate her… they didn't seem to like her either. Finn seemed to like her but suddenly his attitude toward her changed and now he held a strong hatred for her.

She was right. She really didn't have any friends. She was alone in a sea of people. She was sitting in her chair, distanced from the group. Mr. Shuster sighed and called the group together. "Okay guys. I want to address how proud I am of all of you were doing this assignment without complaining. It makes me very proud to your teacher. Now I want you to take the weekend off and then come back next week prepared to work."

He would get his girl help and then hopefully she would be able to be herself again.

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've been really busy with school. Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

** Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

Kurt Hummel sat with Artie, Tina, Quinn, and Mercedes. They were at a local restaurant once again and thinking very hard about what to do with Miss Rachel Berry. Kurt took a long drink of his milkshake. Tina spoke, "Well what can we do. W-w-w-we can rule out eating disorder but there are still so many other options…" Quinn rested her elbow on the table and then settled her head on her open palm. "Well what can we do? If she doesn't want to be helped you know she won't be," Artie said. Kurt suddenly had an idea and a wide grin spread across his face. "Oh I know the perfect way to fix her…" he then proceeded to tell them his plan.

Finn sat on his couch. He was getting agitated. All Quinn ever did was yell at him and cry. He was sick of it. He knew he was being insensitive .After all she was carrying his baby. He felt like he could use a change. Quinn then walked into the room and sat down next to him. He slipped back into his dotting boyfriend mode and was soon seeing if she needed anything. Five minutes later he found himself on the way to the store to buy her ice cream. Yup, he defiantly could use some change.

Quinn had to find a way to get rid of Finn. She didn't want to keep the baby. She knew that. What she didn't know if she just didn't want to keep it with Finn. Puck had been president in trying to prove himself as a father. He would always put money in her bag when he thought she wasn't looking. She knew that he didn't want to be like his father. He had flat out told her. She needed to distract Finn with something so that she could take Puck for a test run. Something clicked in her head. It was perfect.

Rachel Berry got off her elliptical, hot and sweaty after an intense workout. She was slightly panting but felt good. After going almost two weeks without stepping on it, for her to get back into exercising made her feel exhilarated. She dragged herself over to her shower and washed the sweat from her body.

A half hour later she was curled up in her bed, resting. She had started to eat more and was beginning to gain back the weight she had lost. She still was upset though. She was a failure after all. She was bound to mess up something. It was only a matter of time. That was her last thought before she drifted into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, Finn's mom had to go into work early, leaving Quinn the perfect time to spring her trap. As the two sat at the kitchen table, she gave a dramatic sigh. Finn looked up from his bowl of Frosty Flakes with a look of concern. "Baby, are you okay?" He asked moving to put a hand on her knee. "I'm worried about, Rachel." That statement had Finn staring at her incredulously. "Why would you be worried about her? After all she's put you through?" He asked taking her hand. She put on a worried face. "Finn I think she may be really sick. My grandma died and she started out just like Rachel did," she said as she made her eyes tear. Finn instantly panicked. "Oh no, baby don't cry," he said as he stood and pulled her into his chest. She sniffled her nose and said in a teary voice. "My grandma died a painful death. Even if its Berry nobody should have to experience that." Finn sighed. "Alright. I can talk to her and see if something's up. Just for you though," he said and kissed Quinn's forehead. Quinn smirked to herself. Step one: complete.

Kurt zeroed in on his target the next day at school. She was standing in front of her locker; her shoulders slumped as she grabbed books out of her locker. He walked up to her and tapped her shoulder. She had barely turned to look at him when he said, "I am coming over to your house and giving you a make over." She looked at him and muttered a quiet, "what?" Kurt smiled. "We're gonna give you a new look. You have a fantastic body Rachel yet you chose time after time again to cover it up. You need to flaunt it," Kurt said as he linked an arm through hers. He began to lead her down the hall. "So what do you say?" He said as he stared her down. She bit her lip before she nodded. "Alright," she said. He grinned like the chesire cat. "I'll be over at 6 o clock on the dot." He walked away after giving her cheek a peck. Step one: complete.

Finn stood there in the hallway. As he walked down the hallway he remembered his promise to Quinn. He scanned the hallway for the tiny brunette and quickly spotted her; thanks to his height. He took a good look at her. She was extremely thin… it almost looked unhealthy. Her hair was also lank. Quinn was right. Something was up with her but he honestly couldn't care. She never did anything for him. Still he could maybe talk to her… no. He'll talk to Quinn about it.

As Quinn walked down the hall she spotted Finn. He smiled when he saw her. He walked over to her. Leaning down to kiss her, he whispered a 'hey'. She returned the kiss and looked at him. He sighed. "You're right. Something about Rachel is off." Quinn instantly slipped back into her act. She bit her lip nervously. "Finn please help her. I'm okay with you spending time with her… as long as you don't cheat," Quinn said. Finn nodded. "Anything for you baby," he said. Inwardly he was dreading spending time with Berry, but something was wrong with her. If his girl was worried about her, then he would help her.

Later that night Rachel sat shaking in her den. She knew Kurt. He almost always had an ulterior motive when it came to her. What was he going to do? Was he going to give her an awful makeover? Would he just make fun of her clothing? Would he set her up for humiliation? Would he just reinforce the fact that she was a failure? She was pulled from her thoughts by a knock on the door. She stood up on her shaking legs and walked the short distance to the door. When she pulled it open Kurt was standing there with a bag in his hands. He smiled at her, and gave her a pointed look. She moved aside and he entered her home.

"Where is your room?" He asked her and she didn't say a word. Instead she turned and led the way to her room, starting up the stairs. That worried him. She should be talking a mile a minute about the newest solo she wanted to ask Mr. Shuster about. She walked into her room Kurt hot on her heels and she stood awkwardly, crossing her hands in front of her. Kurt looked around. The room was so her. Bright yellow with musical posters and playbills scattered around the room. It had a plain white vanity and her four poster bed was in the center of the room. He pointed to the chair and said, "Sit." She quickly followed his order and sat, refolding her hands in her lap. Kurt placed his bag on her bed and pulled out his waxing supplies. She eyes them wearily as he set down the supplies. He took his bottle of wax in his hands and, after telling her to close her eyes and relax, applied it to her brow. He was careful as to make sure it would have a nice shape. Taking out a piece of tape he quickly placed it on top of the wax. He smoothed it down and quickly ripped it from her skin. She gave a quiet yelp and her hand went up to it. He told her to relax so he could do the other one and she reluctantly listened. He noticed how tense she had become, the sharp pain still embedded in her senses. He placed his fingers under her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. "Hun, if you don't relax your muscles, then the other one will come out uneven. Now please relax," he said. She nodded before taking a deep breathe and closing her eyes. He reapplied the wax and once again placed the tape on top of the wax. He didn't give her time to tense and quickly ripped it from her brow. She whimpered in pain. "There it's over and now they look gorgeous. Take a look," he said.

She opened her eyes and sure enough they were perfectly shaped. "How do you do it?" She asked in a quiet voice as she went to tenderly rub the soreness. He placed a hand on the back of the chair. "The key is to never shape from above. Always shape from below. I get a lot of practice. Look at mine," he said as he raised his eyebrows for emphasis. He smiled and walked over to her closet. He clicked his tongue disapprovingly when he saw all the animal sweater. "Rachel we're going shopping. We're going to broaden your appeal," he said as he shooed her through her open door. She stopped to scribble a note to her fathers and grab her purse off the kitchen table. He ordered her into his car and she listened like an obedient puppy. He got into the driver's side and turned on the ignition.

The car ride was silent. When the painful ride was finally over Kurt practically leaped from the car. Rachel followed unwillingly. He led her into a store she had never set foot in before. He asked for her size and after she gave it to him, he was searching the racks. He put garment after garment into her hands and the pile was quickly growing. He then shooed her into a dressing room and had her model them. At one point, he called a worker over for her opinion on a small black mini dress. In total Rachel wound up buying 10 of the 20 outfits Kurt picked out. She would be dipping into her savings but according to Kurt it was worth it.

They went back home then, Rachel insisting she couldn't afford anymore. He placed the clothes in her closet and he sat her back in front of her vanity. "Let's move onto make-up." That sentence had her eyes wide. She knew make-up… what was he going to do to her? He had her close her eyes and he began working on her face, instructing her on what colors to use for her skin tone. When he instructed her to open her eyes, she was surprised. It just didn't look like her… it was sexier. She was still staring at it when Kurt made her look at him. "Are you okay? You've been quite all night." Rachel stuttered for a moment. "Yeah I'm fine." Kurt looked her in the eye and then turned. "Where your hair like that tomorrow. Now let's work on your walk," he said. "My… walk? What's wrong with my walk," she said looking at him curiously. "Nothing, Hun. You're just going to need to strut. I want you to have all the boys to do a double take as you strut pass. Now get on your feet. Strut down the room." The next hour was spent with Kurt teaching her how to strut her stuff.

The next day Rachel tugged nervously at the end of her tiny black skirt. The tight black top was rather constricting and it made her uncomfortable, but according to Kurt she looked like a model. Her tiny waist was emphasized and the small heels gave her a little extra height. She swallowed nervously as she walked down the hall. She heard several boys wolf whistle. As she passed by a group of baseball players, one went as far as slapping her ass. She gave a nervous jump and hurried on her way. She toyed with the lace on the hem and made her way to her locker. She tried to go her business normally, even though everything made her uncomfortable.

Finn stared at Rachel. This new her was odd. She looked hot. Her body had always been smoking but now… it was a shock she wasn't setting off fire alarms. He took a deep breathe. He had to do it for Quinn. He began to walk towards her but then Puck stood in his way. "What up, man?" He asked as he gave him a clamp on the back. Finn looked over Puck's shoulder to see Rachel was already walking down the hallway. He sighed. Maybe he'd try in Glee.

Quinn approached Puck. "Hey Puck. What are you doing tonight?" she asked with a smile. "I was going to stand outside 7-11 looking depressed until someone offers to buy me beer. Why?" He asked. "I wanted to know if you would be interested in baby sitting," he said. "Sounds good babe. Won't Finn be mad though?" He asked. She smirked. "I've got him looking after, Rachel," she said. Puck's brow instantly furrowed. "Babe, are you sure that's a good idea. I mean, Kurt just tried to fix her look. We don't want Finn screwing it up," he said. Quinn just shrugged. "If you don't want to spend time with me alone in a house then-" Quinn began. "I'll do it," Puck agreed quickly. Quinn smirked and walked away. Step 2: accomplished.

Finn finally managed to get his target locked again as the final bell rang. He approached her and this time she walked away on her own. "Hey Rachel! Wait up," Finn said. Rachel looked over her shoulder and paled when she saw who it was. She quickened her stride. This ticked Finn off. "Rachel! I'm trying to talk to you!" He yelled after her. When she continued without interruption, a scowl spread across his face. "Yo! Hey, you need to stop! I need to talk to you!" She didn't respond. She continued down the hallway. As she passed Azimio and Karofsky he called to them. They turned and he called out, "stop her!" They looked at Rachel, nodded, and were quickly jogging after her. She heard this and had broken into a run. She took off down an empty hallway and heard the sound of running footsteps behind her.

Azimio and Karofsky had taken off after the tiny girl, with Finn catching up easily. "Dude, how can someone so tiny, move so fast?" Azimio asked. The girl was quick and was able to dash around corners. "I don't know but we gotta catch her! Nobody runs from the football team!" Karofsky said. "Yo! Baseball team! Stop, Berry!" Finn cried out. The baseball team stopped chatting and looked at the three boys. A few looked at each other and then joined the group, quickly following after the girl. Finn panted slightly as he sprinted. He called out, "Jackson and Hopper, go around the side hallway and cut her off at the end of the hallway." The two boys nodded and broke away from the group. The girl was gonna run out of steam soon enough…

Rachel's chest was heaving as she ran. She looked over her shoulder and saw them getting closer. Looking forward she skidded to a halt as two more football players appeared at the end and began towards her. As she heard the others closing in on her, she looked left and right. She saw another side entrance and sprinted down it. She saw a girl's room and quickly ducked into it. As she heard the sound of foot steps run by her, she held her breath. She peeked out the door and, when she didn't see them she came out and began to walk towards the nearest exit. She nearly jumped a foot in the air when a hand grabbed hold of her. She turned and looked to see Finn leaning against the wall; his large hand wrapped around her forearm. She paled and giggled nervously, playing with the hem of her skirt.

"You're pretty quick for a midget; even in a skirt. Only problem is that I have longer legs. I still didn't get a look up your skirt though," he said as he looked down at her, a scowl firmly placed on his lips. She gave a nervous gulp and kept her mouth closed. She averted her eyes and squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze. After several moments in this uncomfortable silence she broke the silence. "What do you want? You told me to stay away from you." He tilted his head. "I wanted to know if we could hang out. You know, go over to your place and chill. Maybe watch a movie under a blanket and some low lighting," he said as he gave her a smile. She bit her lip nervously but then nodded. "I guess that would be alright…" that was the only initiative he needed. "If I must ask though, why did you make such a big production out of that simple question? I don't think that getting both the football and baseball team to chase after me was necessary," she questioned. "Please, baby. I always get my girl," he said in a joking tone. She giggled slightly.

He followed her home in his car. He parked in her driveway and took her bag in his hand. If he was going to this he had to make it believable. She opened the door for him and allowed him to enter her home. She led him to the kitchen, asking if he would like a snack. He asked for a root beer and she handed it to him. He took in the sight of him as he took a look at her. She was tense. He could tell she wasn't comfortable. "So how 'bout that movie?" He asked. She nodded. She pointed to the movie cabinet and told him to pick something out. He walked over to it and opened it. He scanned the movie titles until he saw Avatar. He grinned and pulled it out. She came into the room with a bowl of popcorn. She set it on the small table and began to set up the movie. When the options screen appeared, she selected play and walked back over to Finn. She sat on the end of the couch; a considerable distance away from him. Finn slid up to her and pulled the throw blanket off the back of the couch. He quickly wrapped it around himself and the draped it over her, leaning over to cover her small body.

After the movie ended, he gave a lazy stretch. Looking down at her he saw her shoulders were still tensed. He cleared his throat and caught her attention. "Rachel, I have to tell you that you have been acting strange. Is something going on with you?" He asked. She bit her lip. "No. Kurt just decided to give me a makeover," she said. "Good. Quinn will be relived," he said. Her brows furrowed in confusion. "What does Quinn have to do with this?" She asked. "Well honestly the only reason I'm here is because she's worried about you. Apparently you've been behaving different. I honestly haven't noticed," he said, his friendly demeanor slipping quickly. He had to admit though; he regretted the words as soon as he saw the look on her face. She looked like he had just beaten her. She looked so hurt. He'd never seen her look this small. Actually he had; when he told her to leave him and Quinn alone. She turned her head away from his and spoke in a quiet voice, "well if that's what you came here for you can leave. I'm fine." He stood awkwardly, hesitated, and then walked out of the room. She only let the tears fall when she heard the door close.

Quinn sat in the house with Kendra's, Terri's sister, triplets. She and Puck had foolishly agreed to be the Indians in a game of Cowboys vs. Indians. Now, they sat tied up in chairs as the three little monsters ran around the room. She was furiously attempting to undo the knot with Pucks help. As the two broke free of their binds he suggested singing a lullaby to put the beasts to bed. As they sang 'Papa don't preach' Quinn couldn't help but realize that they did make a good team. They got the triplets into the bath tub and to bed without any more problems. As they watched the three little boys sleep, they smiled.

When Kendra came home she was gob stopped. Her boys were all asleep… and smelled like soap! That had never happened. She quickly told the two that she would call if she needed any more baby sitting jobs. As the two teens walked out Quinn thought to herself, "_maybe he would make a good dad…_"

The next day in school Kurt Hummel's jaw dropped when he saw Rachel. She was back in her old clothing. Not only that but you could see the puffiness of her eyes. It was obvious the girl had been crying. He quickly rushed over to her. "Sweetie what happened?" He wrapped an arm around the girl but she quickly shrugged it off. "I'm alright. I just missed my old look. The other one just wasn't me," she said quietly before continuing on her way. As Kurt watched her walk away he felt a pang of sadness. He had never seen her look so hurt. He had thought his idea would work. Instead it had completely backfired.

Finn walked up to Quinn with a smile on his face. He leaned down and gave her cheek a quick peck. "You have no need to worry about Rachel. She's alright," he said. Quinn smiled at him and gave him a hug. "Thank you, Finn. You don't know how happy that makes me." As the two stayed embraced Rachel saw them. The hurt she had been feeling hit her again even higher and her shoulders slumped again.

** Author's Note:**

** Please don't hate me! School is hectic right now! Please review. They inspire me to write!**


	6. Chapter 6

** Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

Rachel Berry sat in the choir room and yawned as she waited for the meeting to get started. As she waited she took in the rest of the glee club. Everyone was having a jam session with Puck and Artie on guitar and Finn jamming on the drums. As they all sang, no one seemed to notice that she wasn't participating. Their interest in her had slowly died out after Kurt's failed attempt at a make over. Now she was happy to be invisible.

Mr. Shuster walked into the room. As he walked in he smiled at his kids. "Hey guys I have great news. Glee club gets a photo in the year book!" he said. All the kids squirmed for a moment and then Kurt said, "Mr. Shuster, we really don't want to have a photo in the year book. People already make our lives hell and having a photo would only encourage that." Mr. Shuster looked crestfallen at this. He frowned. "Well, that's upsetting that you feel that way. If you would have let me finish then you would have known that I only have space for two people. Those two people will be our captains. Would anyone like to step forward?" The teacher stopped and waited a moment, looking for volunteers. He sighed after a moment passed and nobody raised their hands. "Does anybody want to nominate someone?" He asked, slightly put out. "I nominate Rachel," Mercedes said. "I second that," Kurt agreed. Rachel's eyes were as wide as saucers. She squirmed a bit uncomfortably. Mr. Shuster waited for anyone else to speak up. "Alright, it's settled. Rachel, you're our captain. I'll give you the details as to when the picture is being shot soon. We still need a second captain…"

Rachel stopped listening. She was nervously squirming now. She didn't want to be the center of attention. Every time she was, she did something went wrong. She was sick and tired of being the cause of drama within the glee club. It was her fault that Jacob even found out about the Quinn and Finn ordeal. She could have just kept walking like she didn't know what he was talking about. Instead though she walked back to them and attempted to solve the problem. She wasn't even involved in the situation. Yet she still felt the need to stick her big nose where it didn't belong. Now she paid the price. She was alone, friendless, the ultimate failure. Now she was supposed to lead. She couldn't do this… not when every bone in her body was telling her she would fail.

At the end of the meeting, Mr. Shuster called Rachel into his office. As she walked in and he closed the door, she took a seat in the chair that was in front of his deck. She looked down at her lap and he called her name. "Rachel? Are you alright?" He asked. She shook her head a bit to clear it and then responded, "Yes, I'm alright. I just haven't been sleeping very well. What would you like to discuss again?" He looked at her a moment and then began to tell her when and where the picture would be. He then dismissed her and she walked out into the choir room, collected her belongings, and then made her way out to the parking lot.

When she arrived back at home, the scent of chicken filled the air and she gagged. Her dads were great but there were times that they forgot she was a vegan. She walked into the kitchen and went to the pantry. She took out the bread and peanut butter. After that she walked over to the fridge. As she walked by she kissed Eliot Berry on the cheek, muttering a 'hi daddy.' She fetched the jelly and quickly made herself a P.B. & J sandwich. After she placed the items back where they belonged, she began to snack on it.

When Joseph Berry returned home and he and his partner had eaten their meal, the family settled down to watch television; Rachel taking the sofa and the partners snuggled up on the loveseat. Rachel was sprawled out on her side with an afghan covering her. As the movie (Shrek) reached the half way mark, her eyes were heavy. She stood up, kissed both of her fathers' good night and walked up the stairs to her bedroom. Once she reached her bedroom, she stripped off her clothes and pulled her nightgown over her head. She wiggled her way under the covers and got herself comfortable with one thought in her head: "I am going to mess something up… no doubt."

*Glee*

Rachel sat on the stool tugging nervously on the hem of her skirt. The photographer was making some last minute adjustments to the lighting and she just wanted to get this photo over with. When he walked behind the camera, she gave a timid smile. The man behind the camera clucked his tongue. "Come on, give me a big smile. This is going in the yearbook! You need to show off your pearly whites!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. She gave a slight giggle and he quickly snapped the shot. "Alright! There you go, one more now," he said as he reset his camera. She gave a big grin and he then snapped it. "That's a keeper." With that he began to pack up his camera but then paused. "You're the captain of the Glee club correct?" He asked her. Rachel, who had been halfway across the room, stopped and turned. "Indeed, I am. Why do you ask?" She said. "My brother owns a mattress store and he is making a commercial. He needs actors… a lot. Do you think you and your friends would be interested?" He asked. Rachel felt a grin begin to spread across her face. Maybe she _could _do something right.

*Glee*

Rachel walked excitedly into Glee Club the nest day; the spring back in her step. "Fellow Glee Clubbers, listen up! I have exciting news!" She squealed as she went to the front. She heard Artie whisper a quiet "she's back" and her smile faltered slightly but was back in place within a second. Nothing could bring her down at the moment. As soon as she had the room's attention she began to speak. "As you know I was voted, against my will, as your captain. I have managed to lock us a position-" "Get to the point!" Finn said with annoyance clear in his voice. Rachel flinched but said, "We're doing a commercial." That started a domino effect. Everyone began to chatter excitedly about the commercial. Santana finally came to her senses and gave a loud whistle, silencing the group of teens. "What's the commercial for, Berry?" She asked. Rachel's smile grew. "We're going to be selling mattresses!" she squealed. As the excited chatter once again grew in noise level, Rachel's smile grew. Maybe she really did so something right. Maybe she managed to… succeed. The thought was strange on her tongue but she liked it. It made her feel good and that was feeling she wasn't used to. She liked it though and she wouldn't mind feeling it more often.

*Glee*

As the Glee clubbers sat in the make up chairs, excited chatter was flying back in forth. "We're going to be stars!" "I knew those jock straps would regret running my marc Jacob sweater. I had to get it dry cleaned! It smelled like chemicals for weeks!" Rachel sat there soaking it all in. she had caused this wonderful thing. It made her feel on top of the world. She had spoken with the directed and the group had quickly put together a musical number for the commercial. The director got costumes that were loose enough for them to do their moves and the set was designed for the choreography. Everything was in place. Now they had to shoot it and make something of it.

As the director called for everyone to get in there places, the club quickly got into formation. When the music started the club began their song. Rachel let her smile break through and for once she was truly happy. As the cameras filmed, she thought about how fitting this was for the club. They were goofing around as they did the one thing they all had in common: a love for music. She caught sight of Puck and Finn playfully wrestling each other as the song continued. When the director called cut she had never felt so accomplished with herself. She held her head high as she left the studio. She had done something right; a welcome change.

*Glee*

Will Schuster drove to the school with tears rolling down his cheeks. Terri had lied. She wasn't pregnant. He wouldn't have a child. He wouldn't have a tiny baby. He wouldn't have a daughter. He wouldn't be able to have a daddy's girl. He knew that he may have a child one day but this… this ultimate betrayal was crossing a line. He was done with Terri. As he pulled into the school's parking lot, he stopped the car. He pulled out his set of keys and opened the door to the school. He locked it behind him and walked down the dark hallways until he reached his choir room. He opened the door and looked inside. Next to the piano was a stack of mattresses. He looked at the note attached to one and pulled it off. He read it but didn't really register any of the information. He set the note on top of the piano and he then grabbed the mattress on top of the stack. He dragged it down and tore it from the wrapping. He then brought it into his office, ready for one of the longest nights of his life.

*Glee*

Sue Sylvester stood up from the desk she was currently stationed behind. She had just finished up her Sue's Corner segment and was now free to go. As she stood and began to walk towards the stage door, she was stopped by a familiar voice. Not really a voice as it was voices. She turned toward the source and saw a commercial running. It wasn't what the commercial was about that shocked her. What shocked her was who was in it. There on the screen was the Glee Club she wanted to destroy so badly. A grin made its way on her face. This was just too perfect…

*Glee*

"This isn't fair! They were just trying to do something as a group!" Will said. He was sitting in Principal Figgins office. Sue stood next to him with a smirk on her face. "I am sorry, William. It is in the rules. They did the commercial and now my hands are tied. The rules state that no group that has participated in professional activity in which payment is given may compete and will have their amateur status revoked." Figgins said. "Well they weren't paid," Will said exasperated. "I beg to differ. There is a stack of mattresses that are piled as high as the cans of hair product in the dumpster outside your house," Sue said. "We'll return them," Will said, trying hard to protect his students. "You can't return a used mattress; I looked it up. Face it, William. It's over." Figgns said as he tried to be sympathetic. Will sat there as he felt everything he had built up crumbling around him.

*Glee*

"What! This isn't fair!" Finn said in an outburst. Will was leaned against the piano and he sighed. He had just told them the news. "Mr. Shuster we can't do this without you!" Quinn said as she tried to keep the tears from rolling down her cheeks. She cursed pregnancy hormones. "Guys… I'm the one who slept on the mattress. I am the one that accepted them. I'm the one who is disqualified. All of you can still go on and perform. A teacher's job is to point you in the right direction, not give you the answers. If you can't figure out a set list without me then I failed. Now we managed to get a photo in the yearbook thanks to Quinn. I want to see every one of your smiling faces," he said as he pointed at each of his students in turn. He gave them a sad smile and walked out of the room.

Finn's chest began to heave in anger. His gaze fell on Rachel. He lifted his hand and pointed at her. "You!" He said as he stood. "This is your fault!" He began to walk towards her. She stood up in fear and she began to back away from him. "If you had just taken your photo and not bothered sticking your nose in places it doesn't belong then Mr. Shue would be able to go to sectionals," he accused and glared at her. The group all stared at her. All traces of past sympathy or compassion were gone; replaced with disbelief and resentment. She looked at Finn with scared eyes. "I… I didn't mean… I'm-" He quickly cut her off. "You seem to not mean a lot of things," he said. "Let's go Quinn." Quinn followed her boyfriend loyally. The group began to file out looking at her as they pasted.

When Tina wheeled Artie out and she was alone, Rachel stumbled to the wall. When her back hit it, she slid down to the floor and gasped. She ruined it. She ruined everything. Never before had she felt like this. Now she had single-handedly managed to destroy the Glee Club. New Directions had less than a week to come up with a show. How could they manage to do that? She was almost positive that if they worked hard enough they could but now she felt like she had committed the ultimate betrayal. She had just made them lose their director. She didn't know what to do now.

*Glee*

Rachel walked down the hallway. Her shoulders were hunched and her head was hung. She stopped when she ran into a chest. Looking up she saw Finn standing there with some of his football buddies. In each of their hands was a big gulp; one in each of color of the rainbow. She looked at Finn and said, "Do it." He did just that and through it right into her face. She closed her eyes but she didn't flinch. She deserved this. She soon felt more of the icy sting and when it stopped she raised a hand to wipe it from her eyes. She opened her eyes and saw Finn high-fiving his football buddies. She shivered as the cold beverage dripped down her tiny frame. She saw Noah look at her but he ignored her and turned to a cherrio. Mercedes and Kurt each lifted a hand to her in a wave but that was all they did. Artie and Tina gave her a sheepish smile and then continued on their way. She was utterly alone now. She made her way to the bathroom to clean herself off. She licked her lips and tasted grape. That added salt to the wound. She opened the door to the bathroom and then began the long struggle of washing the slushie from her hair. As she bowed her head down to the flow of water she closed her eyes.

Why were they so cruel to her? She made a mistake. She makes many mistakes but she is human. Couldn't they understand that? She sniffled and let a tiny tear slip down her cheek. She was struggling to get the back of her head and couldn't quite reach. She heard the bathroom door open and looked to see who it was. Standing there with a make up bag in his hand was Kurt. He looked at her, saw the position she was in and sighed. He walked over to her and took her hair in his hands. He began to comb through it with his fingers. She bit her lip and closed her eyes. "I don't completely blame you, you know." That shocked her and when she tried to turn her head to look at him he simply put a hand on the nape of her neck and gently added pressure, hoping she would get the hint. She did and lowered her head back under the flow of water. "You don't?" She said in a voice that was so unlike her. It was soft and quiet. He sighed deeply. "No. I don't. I don't particularly like you all the time but… I don't hate you. Nobody deserves what you're getting. This treatment is cruel." He fished into his makeup bag and pulled out a bottle of shampoo. He squirted it onto her hair and began to gently massage it into her scalp. "What you did… the commercial… it was an innocent mistake. You didn't know the rules. None of us did. Finn blaming you like he is isn't fair. Nobody wants to say anything against him because of all the stress he is under. They don't really take your feeling into account." As he continued to talk, he washed her hair. When he felt her hair was clean enough he began to wash the soap from her hair. He wrung it out once all the soap was removed. As he took out a small towel, he began to dry her hair. As the two stood in the bathroom, they looked in the mirror. When their eyes met, they paused. She looked over her shoulder slightly then back into the mirror. "Thank you, Kurt…"

*Glee*

The next day they took their picture. Rachel stood slightly segregated from the rest of the girls. They weren't talking to her and she wasn't to them. It was merely a toleration of her presence. They weren't going to kick her out but they weren't going to speak to her. She sighed. This was just like the beginning of the year all over again.

As the club met up in the choir room Rachel bit her lip and hung off to the side. The girls were flitting around and fixing each others hair. Kurt kept his distance but gestured for her to fix her own, running his fingers behind his ears. She nervously brushed hers behind her ears. The camera man called for them to get into position. He gave the plaque that read "Glee Club 2009-2010" to Artie. Rachel was placed near the edge. _'That's funny. Even he can tell that I don't belong.'_ She plastered a big show face on. Anyone would buy it. It hid the pain well. It was something she had mastered. The picture was taken and her fake happiness was captured forever. Sectionals were coming up and she had a lot to think about. Kurt may not blame her but she didn't know what to do about the rest of the group. These next few days would be hard but she knew that she would have to charge ahead… no matter how difficult it would be.

**Author's Note:**

** The tension builds! I personally always like some Rachel/Kurt friendship moments… hope you guys feel the same. We are getting to the point of action here! Again, school is busy so updates don't come as quickly as normal… and I have two other stories I write for and this one always has the most writing. So you can see why my updates come slowly. Goodnight all. Please review,**


	7. Chapter 7

** Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.**

Rachel sat tapping her foot in the choir room. She chewed her lip nervously. She watched as Quinn flirted with Puck shamelessly across the room. She felt for Finn… he was so innocent and loving. He really did care for Quinn. Maybe he even loved her… he probably did. Even though he had hurt Rachel in more ways than imaginable, she couldn't stay mad at him. He would probably never want to consider being friends with her again but maybe after time and trust building, they could try again. That was all she really hoped for.

As Puck and Quinn continued to flirt, Rachel found herself beginning to listen. _"So what do you say?" _He asked as he put a hand on her side and began to run it up and down. Quinn looked at him and smiled. _"That sounds good… but what about Finn?" _She asked. Puck leaned into her. _"What about him?" _With that he brushed his lips against hers. While she didn't respond, she didn't reject it. Rachel felt a twinge of jealousy. Here she had Finn, the perfect, doting boyfriend_, _and she was going to cheat on him with Puck. The next thing she heard shocked him. _"Does he know the baby is mine?" _Puck asked her. _"No."_ Rachel felt her blood run cold. It wasn't Finn's… it was Puck's. She couldn't hear anymore. She needed to get out of here.She stood up and crept as discreetly as she could. Once she was out the door, she broke into a run.

What did she do? What should she do? She was terrified. If she went to Finn she would destroy a happy relationship and probably lose their male lead. It she left it alone, Finn would go on thinking a child that he thought was his was truly would be his best friend's. She stood in the hallway wondering what to do. She bit her lip. Deciding to go home and think about this she left the building and walked out to her car. She put the keys in the ignition and drove the short distance to her house. She began to way the pros and cons in her head. "_It's is his right to know. He would probably be grateful that someone told him the truth. What if he doesn't believe it though? What if he goes into some state of shock and denies everything? I'm so confused…"_

When she arrived at home, she walked inside to an empty house. She walked into the kitchen and saw a note on the fridge. It read: **Hi sweetie. We hope you had a good day. We are sorry to leave on such short notice but you daddy had an emergency case and we had to go down to phoenix for it. We'll try to be home in time to see you perform. We love you, Dad and Daddy. **She put it down and sighed. Great now she didn't have any kind of distraction.

She went upstairs to her bed and collapsed in bed. She was tired and thought that she could just sleep it off. Her plans backfired on her as she lay in bed; tossing and turning. Thoughts circled around in her head. Should I tell him? Shouldn't I? She had never been so confused in her life. She groaned a bit as the thoughts continued to swirl. They were relentless. She finally came to a decision and was able to sleep; the thoughts no longer bothering her.

*Glee*

Rachel took a deep breathe as she spotted Finn. It was now or never. Just march up to him and tell him that his girlfriend cheated on him with his best friend. Yeah… this might not go over so well. She took another deep breathe, squared her shoulders, and began the agonizing walk to tell her former friend the heart breaking news. She tapped his shoulders once she reached him. He turned and his face hardened when he saw who it was that had approached him. "What do you want?" He said coldly.

She took a deep breathe. This was it… her last chance. "Finn, I don't know how to put this gently-" "Get to the point, man hands!" He growled. She winced. He had never talked to her in such an awful way. She almost lost her nerve then… almost. "The baby isn't yours." The next thing that happened shocked her. He started to laugh. She hadn't expected that. "Are you really that desperate for friendship? Quinn would never do that. You really are a pathetic loser," he said. He shook his head as he continued to laugh. He walked away leaving a shocked Rachel.

He didn't believe her. She was fed up of trying to get him to realize that she hadn't done anything on purpose. She was done with Finn. She was done with attempting with constantly being nice and not getting anything in return. She was sick of being put down time after time. She was tired of being walked all over. Rachel Berry was _done_ with being nice to Finn Hudson.

*Glee*

Finn strolled into the choir room later that day. He looked around and spotted Quinn. He strutted over to her and sat down next to her. "You would not believe what Berry told me today," he said as he swung his arm around her. Quinn had a moment of panic. "What did she tell you?" She asked as she attempted to sound nonchalant. Puck walk in then and he looked at Quinn. She bit her lip. "She told me the most ridiculous thing. She said that thee baby was Puck's. Isn't that ridiculous?" He said but his smile began to falter when he saw the look on her face. He looked over and saw puck with a look that screamed 'deer in headlights!' "Quinn…" he said as a feeling of horror sunk into his gut.

Puck walked over slowly. He put a hand on Quinn's shoulder. "Finn, I haven't been completely honest with you," she began. Finn suddenly stood up. "Tell me she is lying," he said. Quinn bit her lip and then looked into his eyes. "She isn't lying. You're not the father," she said. Finn began to shake. "I didn't want to lose you, Finn. We were fighting and I got drunk and Puck comforted me… Finn I'm so sorry." Finn's eyes flashed to Puck and all he saw was red. He lunged at Puck knocking him to the ground. He held down the squirming Puck and punched him in the eye. The next thing he felt were hands prying him off of Puck and being pushing him into Mike and Matt, who quickly restrained him.

"What's going on here? You guys are best friends," Mr. Shuster said. "They lied to me! My best friend and girlfriend lied to me! I'm done with them," he said and then stormed out of the room. Everyone was shell shocked and then Quinn broke down. She started to cry and Puck wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into him. She broke his heart… but she knew it was for the best. She belonged with Puck. This was for the best…

*Glee*

Finn walked down the hallway. He was upset. He was distraught. He had just been made a fool and he couldn't believe it was true. He was waiting to wake up from this awful nightmare he felt he was living. Only he wouldn't be waking up. This was reality. His mind wandered to a spunky brunette that he had watched fade. He completely broke her spirit. Guilt began to set in. He spotted Jew fro walking to his car. Finn quickly sprinted up to him. He grabbed the smaller boy by the front of his shirt and pulled him so that his face was inches from Finn's. "Just answer one question. Did Rachel give you her underpants to have you keep Quinn's secret?" Finn asked. "What do you mean? That Quinn was pregnant?" The smaller boy stumbled for words. "Yes. Quinn being pregnant," Finn said, his patience running thin. "Yes, she did give me her panties," Jacob said. Finn dropped him and began to walk away.

She had been telling the truth. He had assumed that she was making it up to get into his good books. Everything counted against her. Her past with him, her need to always get what she wants no matter what it took… he had instantly come to the conclusion that she was nothing but a liar. He was wrong though. She had stayed faithful to him. She was loyal. She even helped Quinn even after Quinn was a bitch to her.

How could he ever fix this problem? He was awful and a horrible person. He had pained an innocent girl. He called her worthless. He left her alone. She had no friends… she had said so on many occasions. He was one of the few people that ever showed her kindness. Then he turned on her, knocked her down and rubbed her face in the fact that he was with Quinn and not her. There had to be some way to make up for this. He would have to kiss the ground she walked on; worship her and everything about her. He had stepped in it and now he had to clean up the mess.

The next day he stood in the hallway, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He had gone to the grocery store and went to the flower section. He had to remember to thank Jewel for having a floral section. He didn't know what her favorite flower was so he just grabbed one of the ones that were mixed together. He thought they were pretty. He took a deep breathe and mentally prepped himself for what was to come. He let out the breath and set off down the hallway. She was easy enough to spot. His height gave him that advantage. He approached her trying to be as silent as possible. He took her for granted though. She heard him coming and looked up in confusion. She moved to close her locker but he side stepped her and placed his hand on the locker that is next to her own, cutting off her exit route. She looked up at him and he feet his guilt worsen a bit. He saw fear in her eyes. He was a giant asshole. Not only did he hurt her. He scared her. He made her feel frightened and intimidated. She didn't speak. She just looked up at him with her terror filled eyes.

He looked at her and she went to take a step backwards. He then felt 'wait' leave his tongue. She was hesitant. Her shoulders were tense. He could practically feel how wound up she was and he was about a good 6 inches away from her. She stayed in her place though. She didn't relax, but she stayed. He took a deep breath and he then pulled out the flowers. She looked at them and the fear in her eyes was replaced with surprise. "You were telling me the truth. The baby isn't mine." He continued to look down at her. Her eyes were terrified still but there was a trace of something else… sympathy. He looked at the floors and then offered them to her. "These are for you. I saw them when I went to the store with my mom yesterday. I saw them and thought you would like them." He said as he waited for her reaction. Her eyes flickered up to his face and then down to the flowers. He waited to see what her next move was. She raised a tiny, tentative hand slowly, as if she thought he would pull the flowers away and laugh in her face. He extended them and her little hand wrapped around it.

Her eyes flickered again to his face as he withdrew his hand. She brought the bouquet close to her face and sniffed them. Her eyes seemed to light. It wasn't hard considering how dull they had become. A smile spread across her lips. She looked at him. "Thank you," she whispered. He gave her a crooked smile. This quiet Rachel was abnormal. He had been used to her being loud and obnoxious. The old Rachel used to use big words that he couldn't understand. She took the world by storm. She was like a junk yard dog; never backing down from a fight. There was a spark in her eye that made you know that she knew what she wanted and was going after it. This new Rachel was different… she was shy; timid. She gave up solos _willingly_. She didn't even put up a fight when he insulted her. She just laid there and took it. She had gone from that tough, fearless junk yard dog to a scared, lost puppy. That spark was gone; replaced by a dull, lifeless darkness.

"Finn these are gorgeous but… why are you giving them to me?" She asked him. He sighed. "I was an ass to you. I thought that you were just lying about everything with Jacob. I thought that you just wanted to try to weasel yourself into Quinn position in my life. I was wrong though. She cheated on me just like you said she did. You even gave Jew fro a pair of you underpants to try to keep the secret. I guess what I'm trying to say is… I want you to forgive me. I want you to not only forgive me but give me a chance. Please…" he said. "Finn while I do appreciate the effort… and will always have feelings for you… I don't know if I can. You really hurt me, Finn," Rachel said.

Finn felt his heart sink. Yes he had expected this but it hurt to hear it said. He set his face into a look of determination. "I respect that. I know I was awful to you. I hope you realize that I won't go down without a fight. I'm going to prove to you that I can be a good boyfriend. Until then can we at least give being friends a try?" He asked. She looked at his eyes. He had such hope. She couldn't turn it down. "Fine. We can be friends. But I can't take any more hurt from you. You set one toe out of line and I am done," she said exasperated. He smiled. He could do being friends… for now.

*Glee*

Finn stood next to Rachel as they watched Artie being lifted into the bus. They had a bittersweet feeling in their guts. Mr. Shuster stood in front of Ms. Pillsbury who was rapidly being told last minute things to remember. They had decided to have Mercedes perform _I am Telling You_ as a solo. They would then do _Proud Mary_ in their wheelchairs. They would close with _Don't stop believing._ Everyone was feeling good. They were prepared. They had their choreography memorized and finalized down to the last detail. They had their music parts learned and knew they could bring the audience to its feet. The only problem was Mr. Shuster wouldn't be able to see it. He was banned. He stood and watched the kids board the bus. Rachel took a window seat by herself and watched him. He shut the door for the wheelchair, and hit the bus. The bus then lurched forward. Mr. Shuster waved to the kids as they pulled out of the school parking lot. As the bus pulled away, he got smaller and smaller and when the bus rounded a corner he disappeared from sight. The kids all began to talk excitedly amongst themselves.

Rachel tugged her coat around her tiny body tightly. It was warm and comforting. Although she would never admit it, she was nervous. She was scared. She was afraid she would mess up. What if she forgot her words? What if she completely wiped out on the risers? She was awfully tired of being laughed at. She knew she was a failure. She didn't need more people pointing out the fact; let alone complete failures. She was nervous and practically jumped a foot in the air when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and saw a smiling Finn. "Hey Rach. You okay? You look kind of pale," he said as he brought a hand to her forehead. "You don't feel warm. Is your tummy okay? I have some crackers if you want some," he said as he momentarily disappeared from her view. He reappeared offering her the crackers with a smile. She took one and uttered a thank you before she nibbled on the corner. Her stomach felt like it was doing back flips. She was nervous. She wanted to do well… she was sick and tired of failing over and over again. She couldn't let herself fail. If she did the entire group would go down with her.

With a sudden surge her hand flew to her mouth. Finn, who had been watching her, panicked and called for Ms. Pillsbury. When the teacher appeared she took one look at Rachel before gasping. She instructed Finn to open the window for Rachel, while she ran to grab Rachel a paper bag. Rachel was now nervous and embarrassed. When Ms. Pillsbury told Rachel to take deep breathes into the bag, she felt her cheeks heat up. She took the bag and did as instructed as Ms. Pillsbury stroked her hair away from her face and felt her forehead for herself. "No fever… are you car sick?" The teacher asked. Rachel shook her head. "I think it might be nerves. I'll keep an eye on her." Finn said. The guidance consoler nodded and walked back to her seat after making Finn promise to tell her if Rachel's condition worsened.

After a few minutes of breathing into the bag, Rachel felt herself relax. The feeling of vomiting was now gone. She pulled away from it and lowered it to her lap. "You okay now?" Finn asked. She nodded and took a deep breath as she answered, "Yes. I think that I just let myself get a little bit overheated." Finn gave her a comforting smile. "Just keep the window open. Let yourself get some fresh air," Finn said as he turned back around and out his ear buds into his ears. Rachel closed her eyes and leaned her head against the cool window. _"I can't fail. Not this time…"_ she thought as she felt herself doze off.

*Glee*

Rachel was sitting between Finn and Kurt in the lobby of the performance hall. Ms. Pillsbury was checking them in as the group sat beside each other. Rachel was currently bouncing her leg. Santana glared at her and said, "Can you stop that Berry? It's annoying and stressing me out." Rachel sheepishly dropped her head and looked at her lap; uttering a quiet 'sorry' as she made her leg stop. She felt a gentle pat on her knee and looked up to see Kurt sitting beside her. He had his face turned away but his hand was gently placed on top of hers. He gave it a squeeze before dropping it. The exchange was over within seconds.

Ms. Pillsbury then walked up to them. "So we're all checked in and you have drawn performance slot number 3." The group was sent into a rant at this. Finn didn't think it was that great but the drawings had been done fair and square. Nothing could be changed. They were going last. The group settled down and accepted this fact. They then walked into the performance hall and took their seats to watch their opponents.

Although they were nervous, they settled back in their seats when the James Adams Academy girls came on. They were shocked when they heard the opening notes for _I am Telling You_. Rachel leaned over and whispered to Mercedes (who had paled) "It's a very popular song. This is mere coincidence." Mercedes gave her a nod and returned to listening. Rachel felt her heart sink into her stomach when they began to perform _Proud Mary_ in wheel chairs. There was no coincidence about this. Someone had leaked their set list. She felt her heart beat pick up when the deaf choir squawk _Don't Stop believing._ She stood up. "Meet me in the green room in five minutes," she whispered to the group.

Rachel walked out of the performance hall. She took a few deep breathes and then continued to the green room. She pulled the door open and took a seat on a couch. She placed her head in her hands and let out a shuddering breath. How could this have happened? She racked her brain. Of course it was Sue. She hated Glee Club. She was terrified. Her fear was coming true. They were failing. They hadn't even preformed but they were still failing. She was pulled from her thoughts when the door opened and her team mates filed in. They all took places around the room. It was silent for a while. Then Kurt spoke up. "Well since nobody else is going to say it, I will. This is all Britney and Santana's fault. They leaked the set list." "I didn't do it. Believe it or not I like being in Glee Club. It's the best part of my day." Santana said. Everyone stood criticizing Santana. Rachel watched the Latina. She was still proud and tall even though she was being judged. "I believe you," Rachel whispered. This gained a look of shock from the majority of people in the room. It was well known that Santana and Rachel didn't get along. If Rachel believed her then Santana must have been telling the truth. Santana joined Rachel on the couch then. "Well if Santana didn't do it, then who did?" Kurt asked again. Everyone looked up as Britney cleared her throat. "I did. I didn't know what she was going to do with it though." As the tears welled in Britney's eyes, Rachel felt a pang of sadness. She knew what Britney was feeling. The self hatred and the feeling of failure were both well known by the tiny girl.

"Well you know what, you can redeem yourself," Rachel said. Everyone turned to her. I have a group number for us to reform. I was going to suggest we sing it at Regional but we're desperate." Rachel began to rummage through her bag and then she found what she was looking for. She pulled out the sheet music and handed it to Britney. "You're our best dancer. Work out some choreography for this," Rachel said. Britney's eyes lit up. She quickly snatched the sheet music and went into the corner to work it out. "So we still need two numbers," Santana said. "_Somebody to love_. It is a crowd pleaser," Quinn spoke up quietly. Puck then threw in his two cents. "That and a can of soup will guarantee us third place. We still need a ballad." Rachel nodded at his point. She turned to Mercedes. "Mercedes, do you have anything else in your-" the brunette was cut off by the older girl. "Yeah but its not going to as good as what you can do." Rachel shook her head. "No, we agreed-" the tiny girl was cut off again. "We agreed that I would sing _I am Telling You_. Well now I'm not. So you should sing something," Mercedes said as a smile spread across her face.

Rachel felt her heart increase. "No. No, no, no I can't. Kurt what about you? You want to sing _Defying Gravity_?" She asked. She couldn't sing a solo. It wouldn't be good. She would fail miserably. "Rachel, while I'm touched that you asked me to sing a solo here… we all know that it's you who deserves it. You're our star. All you have to do is pick a song," Kurt said as he gave her a look that _dared_ her to try to rebut his point. Rachel bit her lip. She looked from face to face. They were all staring at her. "I… I..." She was at a lost. She hung her head for a moment. She couldn't just leave the, with two songs. They needed three. What was she going todo? She began to collect her thoughts; the way she had felt over the course of the last few weeks…months even. She sucked in a few deep breaths before looking up to the anxious faces of her team mates. In a quiet voice that she didn't even recognize as her own, she whispered, "I'll do it." Everyone began to cheer. Quickly they changed into their costumes and began to learn the choreography that Britney put together. Rachel was on edge. She now had to sing a solo… completely on her own. There was pressure now. The weight of the club was resting on her shoulders. The question was: could she handle it.

*Glee*

Rachel stood behind the curtain. She was breathing quickly as she listened to the announcer introduce them. She was shaking. She could practically feel her heart attempting to burst through her chest. Her senses were heightened. She knew it was due to the adrenaline she felt coursing through her veins. She heard him finish. She heard the audience clap its welcome. She heard the opening bars of her song. She placed her little hands on the curtain and prepared herself for what was to come. Here it comes… show time. She yanked the curtain aside and before she knew it words were pouring from her lips. She wasn't even thinking about it. It just felt so right. She began to walk up and down the aisles. She poured her everything into the song. She was done with lying down and taking the abuse she faced. She was done with being the one everyone walked over. She was done with allowing them to ruin her. She was done with being a punching bag. They weren't going to rain on her parade any longer. That's what she thought as she poured her everything into _Don't Rain On My Parade._ She ran up the stairs and stood on the stage. When she saw her teammates join her on stage she pushed herself the extra mile. She belted the last note. As she finished, she dragged in a breath as she tried to refill her lungs with it. She looked around and smiled. The audience was on its feet. She took her place in the opening spot.

They began to sing the second song; _You Can't Always Get What You Want_. She couldn't tell you what happened though. It was all a blur. She couldn't remember anything but the feeling of seeing people clap for her. They finished with _Somebody to Love. _Everyone was panting as they walked off stage. They were tired but they were happy. Now they just had to wait for the judges results.

*Glee*

The Glee club stood between their opponents. The director from the deaf school kept shooting them glares. They were listening to the mc drown on about how everyone did excellent and the judges had a hard time making their dictions. It had been decided. Rachel held her breath. The Glee Club condensed closer together. They linked hands and waited. Rachel felt Finn squeeze her fingers tightly. She felt his warm breath on her neck when he leaned down to whisper "No matter what happens, know that you were amazing." The mc opened his mouth and began to rule out the placing.

"In second place… James Addams Academy. The New Directions clapped politely and felt their heart rates pick up. "And now…" another deep breath was taken. "Your 2009 Ohio Sectionals Champions are…" Rachel closed her eyes. "New Directions!" Instantly the group enveloped each other in a hug as they cheered. Rachel felt tears well up in her eyes. They had done it. She had been locked in an embrace with Britney when she felt herself being pulled away and the ground disappear from beneath her feet. She squirmed for a minute. It was uncomfortable and whoever had grabbed her was practically crushing the air from her lungs. She felt her feet hit the ground. She turned and before she could register what was happening, Finn Hudson had his lips pressed against hers in a sweet kiss. It was short and simple but… nice at the same time.

She was handed their trophy. She then pasted it to Artie who held it up in victory. She had accomplished her goal. She realized that now as she stood, surrounded by her team mates and an audience that was clapping and cheering. She had just overcome a huge obstacle. She hadn't failed. She had never failed. No failure could have such an amazing experience. No failure could pull a winning performance from thing air. Rachel Berry was no failure. She was a winner and she saw that now.

**Author's Note:**

**Well thats it. The final chapter. I will miss writing for this story. I enjoyed it very much. It was fun to explore Rachel's character a bit more than the show does. I plan on doing another Glee story soon. Keep your eyes peeled for it. I would like to thank my amazing reviewers. Your kind words meant a lot to me. I would like to ask you to comment on this story one final time. Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter and the overall story. Thank you all.**


	8. Chapter 8

Update.

Hey guys. I have a new story up. Nobody seems to be reading it. I don't know if it is because they don't know I wrote it or if they just don't want to. Anyway, please go read it. It is called Alone In A Room Full of People. Please go check it out and either review or pm me your thoughts. Have a wonderful holiday!


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